It didn’t take long for The Mandalorian to become the flagship series of Disney’s streaming video service, Disney+. The first season of the Star Wars spinoff series earned critical acclaim and delivered a cultural touchstone in the form of an adorable, Force-wielding 50-year-old toddler.
Season 1 of The Mandalorian concluded in December 2019 with an impressive finale that set the stage for more adventures to come for the show’s titular bounty hunter and his diminutive, green traveling partner. Disney confirmed that a second season was on the way, and we finally have some casting news about the next season. Here’s everything we know about season 2 of The Mandalorian so far.
(Note: This article will contain references to plot points from season 1, so consider this a spoiler warning.)
The return of Ahsoka Tano
In March, it was reported — but has yet to be officially confirmed — that Rosario Dawson will portray Ahsoka Tano in the show’s second season.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
A popular character from the Star Wars animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka Tano was noteworthy for being Anakin Skywalker’s padawan (the term used for a young Jedi in training). Her voice was one of several Jedi voices heard by Rey (Daisy Ridley) in a climactic scene from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
A subsequent report indicated that we could be seeing a lot of Dawson as Ahsoka down the road, with ComicBook.com indicating that her contract includes appearances in multiple series throughout the Star Wars universe, if necessary. While such a contract is common these days, particularly given Disney and Marvel’s affinity for far-reaching contracts that account for potential — if not actually planned — projects, it’s certainly something for fans to be excited about regardless of whether Ahsoka makes an appearance outside The Mandalorian any time soon.
The cast
Casting news for the show’s second season has begun to trickle out, but first and foremost, The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal will undoubtedly return for season 2. He’ll be joined by quite a few newcomers and returning cast members, too.
In one of the bigger surprises so far, and as mentioned above, Dawson has been reported to be playing popular Jedi character Ahsoka Tano in season 2 of The Mandalorian.
Also joining the cast in season 2 will be actor Michael Biehn, best known for his roles in the sci-fi classics The Terminator and Aliens. According to Deadline, Biehn will portray a bounty hunter from The Mandalorian’s past.
Pascal and the newcomers are expected to be joined by Giancarlo Esposito (below), reprising his role as Moff Gideon, who was introduced in the final episodes of season 1 and is a key figure in many of the lingering mysteries surrounding both The Mandalorian and The Child.
Also returning for the second season will be stand-up comedian Bill Burr, reprising the character of former Imperial sharpshooter Mayfield. Gina Carano and Carl Weathers are also expected to return as Cara Dune and Greef Karga, respectively, two of The Mandalorian’s allies from the first season.
The directors
Season 2 of The Mandalorian will continue to feature a mix of both new and established filmmakers behind the camera for individual episodes.
Among the confirmed directors for episodes in the second season are Rick Famuyiwa, series creator Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni, who all directed season 1 episodes. Series actor Carl Weathers is also expected to direct an episode.
Sin City and Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez (above) is also rumored to be directing an episode of The Mandalorian for its second season, although there’s been no official confirmation of his involvement yet.
Premiere date
During a February conference call with shareholders, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that season 2 of The Mandalorian will premiere in October 2020. No exact date was given, but it narrowed down the expected premiere window quite a bit after showrunner Jon Favreau initially announced a fall 2020 return for the series.
Filming
Filming on the second season of The Mandalorian got underway early in the first season’s run, with showrunner and writer Jon Favreau confirming that cameras were rolling on season 2 in November 2019.
The story
Although the first season of The Mandalorian didn’t end on a cliffhanger, it did pose nearly as many new questions as it answered.
The series is expected to follow The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), aka Din Djarin, as he attempts to bring The Child, aka Baby Yoda, back to his home planet. He leaves behind bounty hunter guild leader Greef Carga (Carl Weathers) and former shock trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano), the two surviving characters who assisted him in rescuing The Child.
His quest put him in the crosshairs of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and the remnants of the Galactic Empire, who want The Child for their own unknown-but-probably-nefarious purposes. Their pursuit of him will likely shape the events of season 2. As revealed in the first season’s finale, Moff Gideon has a deadly connection to The Mandalorian’s past, as well as a powerful artifact from Mandalorian lore: The Darksaber.
More aliens
In December 2019, showrunner and writer Jon Favreau posted an image of a Gamorrean on Twitter alongside a reminder of season 2, suggesting that the pig-like alien race first introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi will join the ranks of the Star Wars species appearing in the series.
Season 2 of #TheMandalorian coming Fall 2020 pic.twitter.com/8VQYLDMQ0V
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) December 27, 2019
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