We knew people loved the Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian, but we were pleasantly surprised when the Disney+ series’ first season was nominated for a whopping 15 Emmys. And after a thrilling end that revealed not just Mando’s (Pedro Pascal) real name (it’s Din Djarin), but also the fact he was rescued as a child by blue-armored Mandalorians after the death of his parents, we’re champing at the bit to learn more in Season 2.
Luckily, we already know a bit about what to expect when the show returns later this year, including an actual premiere date. Here’s everything we know for sure about Season 2.
The Mandalorian
Season 2 is coming in October. Disney+ renewed the live-action Star Wars series before the first season had even premiered — creator Jon Favreau revealed months before the show’s debut that he was already writing Season 2. And since the show was able to wrap production right before Disney began shutting down its various productions, it was one of the few Disney+ shows that wasn’t delayed as a result of the coronavirus. Now we finally know when the new season will drop: mark your calendars for Friday, Oct. 30!
Last December, Favreau teased the new season with a look at a model of a creature, the green-skinned, pig-like Gamorrean, which appeared in Return of the Jedi and who will presumably play a role in Season 2.
Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020 pic.twitter.com/8VQYLDMQ0V
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) December 27, 2019
Season 2 will focus on The Child, aka Baby Yoda, and where he comes from. Halfway through the finale, the Armorer (Emily Swallow) revealed to Din (or should we still call him Mando?) that he must take on the father figure role for Baby Yoda and train him, much as he was trained by the Mandalorians who found him all those years ago, until he finds the adorable little guy’s species or he comes of age. At the end of the episode, Din turned down Greef Carga’s (Carl Weathers) offer to rejoin the Bounty Hunters’ Guild and revealed he was going to try to figure out where Baby Yoda comes from, thus setting up a season that will hopefully shed some light on a species we know very little about so far.
Moff Gideon will be back. Although Din thought he destroyed Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) when his TIE fighter crashed, the end of the finale revealed he actually survived — and that’s not all. He has in his possession a black-bladed lightsaber, known as the Darksaber, which was built by Tarre Vizsla, a Mandalorian and Jedi. It’s unclear how he came to be in possession of the Darksaber, but portrayer Giancarlo Esposito confirmed to Deadline in July that we will find out a lot more about the saber itself and how it’s connected to Gideon in Season 2. “You’ll see more of the Darksaber. You’ll get the explanation of this ancient weapon to the modern world, a collapsed world,” he said. “Where did this saber come from and how was it revived? It’s a key in our second season.”
“(The Darksaber) is a key to Moff Gideon’s past,” he added, “which possibly has a lot to do with where he comes from and his desire to build a planet and bring it back together.”
Boba Fett is making his long-awaited return. Temuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones, will appear in Season 2 in the role of Boba Fett, the famed bounty hunter introduced in The Empire Strikes Back.
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Rosario Dawson is joining the cast as Ahsoka Tano. The fan-favorite Star Wars character is making her live-action debut in the second season. Previously, she was voiced by Ashley Eckstein in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and has appeared in Star Wars Rebels as well.
Katee Sackhoff will play Bo-Katan Kryze. After previously voicing the Mandalorian warrior in The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Sackhoff will next play the live-action version in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, according to/Film. There are no further details at this time, but perhaps this is tied into the explanation of how Moff Gideon ended up with the Darksaber?
The rest of the cast is shaping up too. According to Making Star Wars and /Film, Michael Biehn (Aliens, Terminator) has been cast in Season 2 as a bounty hunter from Mando’s past. It remains to be seen whether that is a good or a bad thing. Meanwhile, Justified star and The Good Place guest star Timothy Olyphant has joined the cast in an undisclosed role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Robert Rodriguez and Peyton Reed are among the directors. Season 1 had big names like Taika Waititi and Bryce Dallas Howard helming episodes, and Season 2 will continue the trend of putting notable people in the directors’ chair. On May 4, in honor of Star Wars Day, Robert Rodriguez (Alita: Battle Angel) and Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) announced via Twitter that they would both be headed to a galaxy far, far away.
I am truly humbled to say I have now had the very rare privilege of directing the biggest star in the universe. @StarWars #TheMandalorian #MayThe4th #StarWarsDay pic.twitter.com/pcmzOHfgaW
— Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) May 5, 2020
#MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/XUk5Xfs0JE
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) May 4, 2020
Season 3 is already in the works. Although we won’t see Season 2 for many months, Variety reports that a third season of The Mandalorian is already in the works. In April, the trade revealed that Favreau has been writing Season 3 for a while and that the art department was already creating concepts. That should also make fans feel pretty good about the future.
The Mandalorian Season 2 debuts Friday, Oct. 30 on Disney+.