One of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, Robert Rodriguez, revealed how he landed his job directing a crucial episode of the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian by writing fan mail to the series creator and showrunner, Jon Favreau.
Rodriguez, famous for such films as From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, Planet Terror, Machete, and Alita: Battle Angel, explained the details of his fan mail to Favreau during an interview with CBR.com.
“I’ve been friends with [Jon Favreau] for a long time and I wrote him after the third episode. I would send him emails from back in the day saying my kids loved Zathura and they would watch it over and over again. I’d always be sending him fan mail, so I sent him fan mail about this Mandalorian episode, like, ‘Man, another one out of the park! Kickass job!’ And he said, ‘Actually, can I call you? I just lost one of my directors. Do you want to come to bring some of that Alita magic?'”
In addition to The Mandalorian, Favreau is known for his work directing two Iron Man films, live-action remakes of both The Jungle Book and The Lion King, and Elf among others.
Rodriguez ultimately made his directorial debut on the sixth episode of the second season, which includes some major plot twists and an expertly directed skirmish featuring Din Djarin and the legendary Boba Fett as they fend off a squadron of stormtroopers.
As it turns out, Rodriguez is now taking the helm of his own Disney Plus series, the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett, where he will be an executive producer and director with Jon Favreau. The Book of Boba Fett will debut in December. Rodriguez is also co-directing the Billie Eilish film Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles alongside Patrick Osborne. That film will also be released on Disney Plus on tomorrow, Sept. 3.
