The first season of Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian brought us smaller scale stories in the world of Star Wars. But that’s all about to change. Season 2 is bringing us the first live-action appearance of fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano, the return of Boba Fett, as well as the introduction of several other characters coming in from the novels and animated projects, making the adventures of Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian, a bit more crowded.
And finally, after the release of several pictures, we’ve now got our first glimpse at some footage from Season 2, with the debut of the long-awaited trailer.
Many have stated that the future of Star Wars should be in streaming shows, and season 2 of The Mandalorian may prove to be the springboard that helps launch several other live-action series whose protagonists will initially be introduced to audiences starting this October 30th only Disney+, when The Mandalorian season 2 is set to premiere.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Connecting the Imaginary Dots articles on Murphys Multiverse, basically this is for stuff we find, that is not officially confirmed, but are more speculative pieces based on other information and “proof” we are putting together to make our conclusions.
One of the things I enjoy about being on social media, following and reporting on these shows, is the interaction with other fans. And they are often the ones paying closest attention to what their favorite actors and actresses are getting up to and sharing it.
One such fan got in contact with me through Instagram yesterday with some very interesting information observed about actress Erin Kellyman, who you may remember as Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story. The person asked to remain anonymous but here is their first DM sent to me below.
Hmm…. interesting. Right?
Now, I am no naive dummy. I know not to just take what a random person who DMs me says at face value. So I, like any decent detective, go hunting for “proof.” Unfortunately, due to Instagram stories usually being temporary if not saved, I was not able to corroborate some key assertions my new anonymous friend makes. Such as, Erin being in Prague and Atlanta while TheFalcon and the Winter Soldier was filming. However this tipster did share the saved Instagram stories post by Erin’s friend, Dayna Browning, from about 9 weeks ago, in which she mentions Erin being “in two of the biggest franchises ever.”
So… Star Wars and… ??
One quick check on who Erin herself was following and followed by on Instagram, revealed some other interesting supporting evidence.
Desmond Chiam is definitely in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and he is mutual follower with Erin. He also follows her brand spanking new Twitter account. (See below)
Next we look at Indya Bussey, also mutually following Erin. You may remember a recent Connecting the Imaginary Dots Charles wrote up which mentioned her being in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and she was definitely in Prague when they were filming there in March. She probably would have met Erin then if not earlier.
The other two mutual follows with Erin listed there are stunt people who are definitely working on, you can probably guess it, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They are not listed in IMDb yet, but I’ve been following the stunt people enough to know they are part of that series team. And both of them were in Prague with the rest of the stunt team for off time when not filming.
Now let’s have a closer look at stuntwoman Hannah Scott in particular. She and Erin follow each other and it doesn’t appear to be from previous work. Erin also liked a few pertinent posts of Hannah’s: a sightseeing picture from when she was in Prague working on the series, and very important to note that Erin liked Hannah’s post of the Superbowl trailer for the 3 Marvel Disney plus shows. Coincidence? Possibly. But all together evidence is mounting to support my anonymous contributor’s claim.
And just one more little thing about that, whenever I’m trying to figure out who a stand in or stunt double might be doubling for, I look at heights to see if they’re close. Erin is 5′ 6″ while Hannah is 5’5 1/2″. Pretty close right? It might even be that Hannah hasn’t listed herself on IMDb yet because she is stunt doubling for Erin who hasn’t been officially announced yet! A stretch? Maybe, but it seems logical to me.
‘But who is Erin playing?’, you might be scratching your head asking about now. Well, as with this revelation that Erin Kellyman might very well be appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, nothing is confirmed officially yet. But I believe we uncovered some intriguing evidence for what her role might be in another article which included set videos and images from the series a few months back.
An excerpt from Charles Murphy’s article:
“Brilliantly bright, long red curly hair”
Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking? Because I’m thinking that Erin just might be our red headed badass teaming up with those other seemingly suped up lady thugs, causing trouble for Bucky Barnes, and trading blows with John Walker in those videos that were provided in the previously linked article.
In a previous Connecting the Imaginary Dots segment, Charles speculated that Songbird, aka Melissa Gold, or Diamondback, aka Rachel Leighton, may be in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well, based on some set images. This doesn’t seem to match up exactly with other evidence I’ve sited that Erin is in the series too. However it is to be considered along with another suggestion by Charles as we were discussing this. He speculates that perhaps she could be playing Sharon Ventura. She has ties to the Grapplers, who we suspect are the group of female assailants, as well as having connections to Ben Grimm in Fantastic Four, Ms. Marvel, and even She-Hulk. Sharon seems as likely a character as any to add to the mix.
So what do you think? Are we correct about Erin Kellyman being in the series? And what MCU character do you think she will play?
In closing, thank you again to my anonymous contributor for the heads up on this, and thank you to everyone who sends me tips and articles to check out and share with everyone else. Please feel free to DM me on either Instagram or Twitter if you ever have set images or other MCU newsworthy information to share and I will check it out. It is greatly appreciated.
The Mandalorian was the show that kicked-off Disney+ last year. It was a worldwide hit even though most countries didn’t have access to the streaming service until much later. The Star Wars series was their first foray into live-action long-term storytelling. It paid off, as the world was in love with Baby Yoda. The show even earned 15 Emmy nominations. So, the only question on everyone’s mind was when we could expect the second season. Everything was being delayed, so some worried this show would also be affected. Almost a week ago, our worries were undone as the second season was announced to release at the end of October 30th. Now, Entertainment Weekly also offered some first pictures teasing what we can expect from the upcoming season.
THE MANDALORIAN
(Left to right) Gina Carano is Cara Dune, Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian and Carl Weathers is Greef Karga
THE MANDALORIAN
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child
THE MANDALORIAN
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child
THE MANDALORIAN
Carl Weathers is Greef Karga
THE MANDALORIAN
Giancarlo Esposito is Moff Gideon
THE MANDALORIAN
Gina Carano is Cara Dune
As you can see, the main cast is all back. Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito are all returning to reprise their roles to join Pedro Pascal‘s Mandalorian. We still don#t know how exactly the story will unfold but it is safe to assume that Esposito‘s Moff Gideon is on the hunt for the Child. So far, no new cast members have been confirmed and it seems they are keeping this close to the chest. We might finally get some kind of reveal when the first trailer is released. With these official shots from the film, it is likely we might get our first trailer in the coming weeks.
Jon Favreau also confirmed in an interview that this season will open up the world around Mando. It will be less isolated but they still want each episode to bring something different to the table. He also points out that this season might not just focus on the titular character but branch out similar to Game of Thrones. Moff Gideon would certainly be an intriguing character to explore, as we find out how he got his hands on the infamous Dark Saber. The actor did confirm he will get to use it throughout the season. Favreau also confirmed that they worked remotely and adapted tot the current environment to ensure everyone’s safety. Long-time Star Wars writer and director Dave Filoni had the perfect quote for their approach to this season.
You want The Empire Strikes Back to be better than A New Hope.
Disney struck gold with the release of The Mandalorian, created by Disneys golden boy, Jon Favreau; the show quickly caught on due to the appearance of a certain small green creature that captured the hearts of fans around the world. With production on the second season wrapping right before the pandemic hit, many wondered what the status of the highly anticipated second season was if it would still make its October release. Today Disney+ made the announcement that the second season of the galactic western would begin streaming new episodes weekly starting on October 30th. The shows sophomore season is sure to be an exciting one with Mando and friends diving deeper into what the galaxy once was, learning about the force and those who once wielded it to bring peace or chaos to the galaxy.
It’s unclear if the second season will follow the release pattern of the original or if we’ll only see one episode at launch. Either way, the much anticipated sophomore season is right around the corner!
There were initial reports at the end of 2019 that the Disney+ series would be filming in Europe. It even had June 2020 set as the potential production start. This lined-up with the Special Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan confirming they were already six weeks into pre-production in April. They were forced to close down as a result of the pandemic. Everything was set on hold but the recent casting had confirmed that pre-production was reignited.
In an interview at the beginning of August, DiegoLuna confirmed that filming would start soon. Now the only question remained when Instagram user Bespin Bulletin claimed that the production was eyeing late July to start again. The casting did support this claim and Luna‘s comments did hint at a filming start in the coming months. They already had six weeks of pre-production done, so they didn’t have to start from scratch.
In the post, it was mentioned that a Redditor by the name of Chopper 3 had posted some info on filming a Star Wars project. Checked it myself and did find the Reddit post in question that claimed they plan to film from November until July.
As Bespin Bulletin points out in their IG post, productions would take around eight months which would match the mention by Chopper3. When it was originally by Production Weekly that they were eyeing an October 2019 production start, the length would’ve matched intending to finish by June 2019. Thinking back, it has been quite the ride for this Star Wars show to get off the grounds. While we still have no official word, it would fit the timeline. Interestingly, both the new Star Wars shows are filming around the same time. There is a good chance they will re-use assets between projects. Production hints from the Obi-Wan Kenobi show also pointed to this being the case. Hopefully, this will be a good sign for more new Disney+ shows coming next year.
It is strange to think how large the Lego games have become over the years. The original LegoStar Wars: The Video Game was my introduction to the franchise. As a huge Star Wars fan, the game was perfect to relieve these iconic moments. During the Opening Night to Gamescom, we finally got our first look at the gameply for the upcoming Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga. We’ve been anxiously waiting for a trailer to just see what a true next-gen Lego game would look like. One thing is for certain, it is a Lego game that will have its fun with the source material. The trailer also confirmed that it will release Spring 2021. Check out the gameplay right here:
There have been rumblings for quite some time, but now, and according to Corey and Noah over at the Kessel Run Transmissions, Hayden Christensen is indeed returning to the Star Wars universe to play Anakin Skywalker in the yet-untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Christensen has been very involved in Star Wars fan events in the past few years, so it comes as no surprise that the next step would be to bring him back to the iconic role that he first played almost 20 years ago. And even though this piece of news alone allows for a lot of speculation on what the plot of the series is concerned, it’s the confirmation that Clone Commander Cody (and his 212th) is also set to come back to live-action that seems to bring it all together.
Even since the series was officially confirmed back in August 2019 (and even before that) that fans have been wondering what could an Obi-Wan centered production, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, as this one is, be about. The last time we saw the character in Episode III he was delivering baby Luke to his uncles on Tatooine, and at the beginning of Episode IV he was still there, having spent almost two full (earth) decades looking out for young Luke, making sure the wrong people didn’t get to him. So would a Kenobi series have to be set in Tatooine since it’s plausible Obi-Wan didn’t leave the planet during that extended period? Yes and no.
Having Anakin Skywalker in the series will mean that the show, while set between the previously mentioned theatrical releases, will likely feature several flashbacks to a time before Obi-Wan settled down in Tatooine, before Luke was born and before Anakin turned into Darth Vader. Events in the series’ present-day may serve as the catalyst to these flashbacks, mirroring past events and allowing us to go deeper into Obi-Wan’s memories. But for those events to trigger Kenobi’s memories they would have to be pretty meaningful. And this is where someone familiar to him, from his past, would come into play.
Anakin, now Darth Vader, would probably be choice number one. But even though Vader is also set to show up in the series (and there’s ‘probably a 50/50 chance of having Christensen in the role – either he will or he won’t), them coming together probably wouldn’t fit into the overarching storyline. When they both met in A New Hope, Vader said “When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master.” And it’s doubtful Anakin doesn’t see his transformation into Darth Vader as the moment he finally became more than Kenobi was.
Darth Maul would also be an interesting choice. Since we found out he didn’t die in Episode I, we’ve learned of his obsession with Kenobi, and how he sees as his destiny to finally overcome him in battle. But his appearance would undermine everything Star Wars Rebels achieved when addressing their conflict. And, as Vader, we have already seen the way he dies. This could remove most of the tension that should be integral to such confrontations.
But Commander Cody could be it. We last saw him turning against the Jedi in the final act of Episode III, when Cody was Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi’s subordinate. They lead the 212th Legion, a military battalion of the Grand Army of the Republic, during the Clone Wars, having developed a friendly relationship being the implementation of Order 66 (that commanded all clone troopers to kill their Jedi officers) what turned them into enemies. This means that there would be some personal feelings involved if these two would even come face to face in the series, making it all the more meaningful.
The plot for the series, as the guys at Kessel Run Transmissions confirmed, seems to focus on a hunt for Obi-Wan Kenobi. If making Darth Vader lead such an endeavor would probably feel like overkill, having someone that fought alongside Kenobi, that earned his confidence and respect, that probably knows him better than most, makes the most sense. So being, we will probably witness a search for the former Jedi Knight, orchestrated by Vader but led by Commander Cody. And having to face such an old ally may lead Obi-Wan to relive some moments from The Clone Wars where both Anakin and Cody were beside him, and this is where he might end up finding the answers he needs to overcome the ordeal facing him in the present.
Star Wars’ journey has been quite turbulent. It has established its place in animation through shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels. Then founder George Lucas sold the company to Disney. They tried to kickstart a new trilogy. that explores the galaxy far far away after the events of Return of the Jedi. After the last entry of the new trilogy, Rise of Skywalker, was released to a mixed reception, they decided to take a step back to re-evaluate their next move. Everyone was waiting to find out what the future would hold. The franchise has started expanding more into long-term storytelling, especially after its success with The Mandalorian on Disney+ and many other shows in the pipeline.
According to the President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy, they are still planning out how they will move forward. She highlighted that they want to try and expore the 25,000 years of history in this universe. They are also not trying to be bound by one medium, as they expand their projects into books and games. Their goal is to continue what George Lucas started. One interesting thing to note is that she did point out in her interview with The Wrap:
“That’s what we’ve been doing, and we’ve been having a great deal of fun doing it, and meeting with lots of different filmmakers and talent. There’s so many fans out there and so many filmmakers that have been influenced by Star Wars for so long that it’s a fantastic opportunity to get a sense of who wants to be a part of this. So that’s what we’ve been doing.”
So far, we know that a film is in development with Taika Waititi, who also direct episodes on The Mandalorian. We are still anxious to find out what kind of story he will tell in the Star Wars universe. This also means that we might get more standalone films moving forward. There were rumblings of them potentially exploring the Old Republic to take a unique look at Jedi history. She also highlighted that TV will be an integral part for the franchise’s future.
“I do. And I’ve already seen evidence of it. The ability to be very character-driven, with extended storytelling and connected storytelling, I think this space offers us a great opportunity to do that.”
It’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. There are a lot of stories to explore in the galaxy far far away. Kennedy‘s last statement also fits their current approach to the brand. We’ve mainly heard many various shows being announced, like the untitled Cassian Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi shows. They also created a spin-off from The Clone Wars titled The Bad Batch. One thing is for sure, we won’t be running out of Star Wars content anytime soon.
Amid the turmoil most production companies are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing the implementation of health and safety guidelines might lead to is an increase in the number of entertainment projects set underwater or in outer space (or in any other setting where a protective suit and helmet would be mandatory, really), making for settings where cast and crew would inherently be a bit more safeguarded. A similar security blanket, unique to the show, will likely also ensure that the production of the third season of The Mandalorian will remain largely unaffected and on schedule.
As Murphy’s Multiverse referenced a couple of months ago the groundbreaking technology used in the making of Star Wars’ first live-action tv series could be of great use during these trying times for the entertainment industry. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked about the challenges that the show might have to face when the time comes to shoot season 3, executive producer Jon Favreau had this to say:
The fact that the set is much more contained is a benefit, because you can limit the number of people. A lot of the people controlling it are doing it remotely from what we call the Brain Bar, which is a bank of gaming computers, essentially. The amount of people near the camera could be much smaller than [usual]. We also shoot a lot outside, which is helpful, too. We build to a moment in filming more like an animated production, where we have a lot of storyboards, a lot of discussions and scouting in virtual reality. We use cinematic tools in VR much the same way we did for The Lion King and The Jungle Book. A lot of times the actors you are seeing on the screen aren’t actually there on set.
So being, “The Volume” (the name given to the soundstage where most of The Mandalorian is shot) proves to be ahead of its time, in more ways than one. It was initially conceived as a way to streamline the shooting of a show that involves a whole lot of VFX and off-world locations, and the ability to change environments at the click of a button revealed itself to be tremendously effective, making it a winning play for Lucasfilm as the show’s tremendous reception reflected. It has also demonstrated that having such a tool that allows to reduce location shooting while creating a protective bubble around cast and crew alike is surely invaluable in today’s landscape, especially at a time when the limitations productions are facing are still far too many and most are playing catch-up, trying to understand what crews can and cannot do with the current health concerns.
The Mandalorian kickstarted the Disney+ era. It was quite the success and Disney didn’t waste time to announce multiple projects in the Star Wars galaxy. Just recently, we got an update on casting for the unnamed Cassian Andor project. Hell, we are even getting a new Star Wars Holiday Special on the streaming platform. One major project many are excited for was the announced Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Ewan McGregor is confirmed to return to the role, as it takes place eight years after Revenge of the Sith. In January, it was reported that the production was set on hold long before the pandemic hit. Rumors pointed to issues with the scripts that were going to be reworked. As a result, production was delayed indefinitely.
Well, looks like that wait is finally over. The site Making Star Wars has uncovered that there are plans to start production as early as next month. It seems that they are planning on using the train yard location in California. This has been used for many exterior shots for The Mandalorian in the past. They could be reusing the Tatooine materials filmed during the first season of the Disney+ show.
Their source does confirm that this doesn’t mean they will instantly jump into filming. This story takes place long before our favorite Mandalorian took a step in Tatooine so it was a very different place then. So, they will need to adapt the existing material to fit that timeline before Deborah Chow starts the actual filming. As she was involved with the previous show’s production, she can reuse this experience for Obi-Wan. Making Star Wars also points out that it is unsure how much will be shot in Southern California. Originally, plans seemed to indicate that they wanted to film in the U.K. but with the current situation this may be hindered. It will be good to keep an eye out if anything happens for the show next month.
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