'The Mandalorian' Showrunner Jon Favreau Reveals What He Learned From Marvel's Kevin Feige

Jon Favreau has come a long way in his career. Before creating The Mandalorian, which is a huge hit with Star Wars fans old and new, he voiced Pre Vizla of the Mandalorian group Death Watch in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and then Rio Durant in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Outside of Star Wars, he has directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (and appeared as Happy Hogan in both films and a few other MCU films since then). He also went on to direct Disney’s remakes of The Jungle Book and The Lion King, both of which had box office success. As such, he has become a huge asset for Disney.

Of course, the success that he has gained was due to experience and conversations with the connections that he has made. Favreau told Deadline about how he learned from Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige that franchise stories need to honor the longtime fans while also embracing the newer fans.

"But we always knew... and this is something I learned from... over at Marvel and working with Kevin Feige, is you always want to keep the core fans in mind, because they have been the ones that've been keeping the torch lit for many, many years, but these are also stories for young people and for new audiences. These are myths, and so you always want to have an outstretched hand to people who might not have that background. And so you're really telling two stories at once. You're telling the story for the people who are fresh eyes, and you're telling the story for the people who have been there with the property and the stories and the characters for so many years, and make sure you're honoring them, as well."

Pleasing fans can be a balancing act. As hard as some people try, they may get mixed results. Favreau, however, has managed to impress lots of fans old and new. The Mandalorian has given us familiar elements, such as Jawas, Tatooine, an ice cream maker, the Darksaber, and...well, Mandalorians themselves. However, it has also added enough new things to keep the show interesting. Much of the new characters have made quite an impression on viewers. These are characters that audiences want to see explored. And, of course, The Child brought in a lot of new fans. Even though he is the same species as Yoda, a familiar character, he has his own personality and is a mystery himself to be further explored on the show, it seems.

Favreau also talked about taking inspiration from the works that inspired Star Wars itself. This is a very smart move, given that things can feel too fanservice-y if one focuses too much on referencing Star Wars itself. In order to make The Mandalorian feel organic, Favreau looked to the stories that influenced Star Wars. Overall, this kept the show feeling fresh.

Whether old or new, fans are sure to continue to be rewarded when season 2 of The Mandalorian arrives on Disney+ this October. If some of the rumors that we have been hearing are true, then we might be seeing a few characters who are familiar to those who have followed other Star Wars projects. If this is the case, then hopefully the series can keep the show feeling new and fresh rather than oversaturated with familiar elements. Given the success rate of The Mandalorian so far, it is difficult to imagine that the show could go downhill. For now, many fans are optimistic about the upcoming season, which just cannot come any sooner.

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated From Culture Slate