It’s been clear for a while now that 2019 is going to be a huge year for the Star Wars franchise, and while the December-bound Star Wars: Episode IX is undoubtedly the most high-profile project on the horizon, The Mandalorian’s status as the first live-action TV series of the space saga makes it a pretty important release in its own right. And going by a new report from Entertainment Weekly, there’s a good chance that Jon Favreau’s show will be the first of these two works to reach our screens.
According to the recent EW piece, The Mandalorian is set for release this year on Disney Plus. Better yet, the show’s premiere will coincide with the launch of the platform itself, suggesting that Disney is banking on the series to get their new streaming service off on the right foot. Of course, this brings us to the question of when exactly Disney Plus will be launching, and that’s still a query we’re waiting to hear back on.
In any case, it comes as little surprise to hear that The Mandalorian will be with us before the end of 2019, seeing how filming for the Star Wars spinoff began back in October of last year. Since then, we’ve seen a good few set photos of both the official and unofficial kind, teasing new characters, familiar props, and even the return of IG-88 of The Empire Strikes Back fame.
Meanwhile, an intriguing array of cast members have been announced, with Narcos star Pedro Pascal assuming the title role opposite the likes of Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Nick Nolte and Werner Herzog. We’ll find out how Favreau makes use of this line-up when The Mandalorian comes out later in the year.