A little over a week ago, LRM Online was lucky enough to be invited to attend a screening of 27 minutes of footage from the new Disney+ show The Mandalorian. It hails from the Star Wars universe and is one of the flagship shows that will help launch Disney’s new streaming service, available starting November 12th. Looking to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu, the streamer will include the vast Disney library of movies and TV shows, and will also feature new shows based on Star Wars and Marvel characters and original movies, as well.

Created by Jon Favreau, director of the recent Jungle Book and Lion King remakes, and creatively guided by he and Dave Filoni, a writer-director-producer behind the Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars TV shows, the series follows the adventures of a lone Mandalorian bounty hunter operating in the outskirts of the galaxy, far away from any interference from the authorities. Think of it as the space equivalent of the Wild West.

The footage we saw was action-packed. Throwing off major western vibes, it started with a saloon fight where our unnamed lead, the aforementioned bounty hunter, takes on at least a half dozen baddies to save a man’s life. The catch is the saved is actually his bounty, and he plans on taking him in dead or alive. The fracas is violent, but without being bloody or R-rated. I was surprised to see such intensity in a Star Wars program. It was definitely stronger than what you’ve seen in the movies. Throughout the footage, our guy also faces off against a variety of space beasts, and these battles feature a similar strength.

The production value is high for the new show. You can definitely tell Disney spent beaucoup bucks to make the show look cinematic and not like a cheap television show. The VFX are plentiful and top-notch. The detailed sets and special effects makeup on the various space characters are also quite impressive and definitely don’t come cheap.

RELATED – The Mandalorian Trailer Breakdown | LRMornings

They also didn’t skimp on casting talented actors, as the show features Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Gina Carano and a particular favorite of mine, the German film director Werner Herzog. Weathers seems to be playing the Mandalorian’s handler, as he doles out bounties and pays him when he turns in his captured. Herzog is behind a particular off books bounty that will pay our lead well, but will require all of his skill, as it comes without most of the usual info or help he is used to being furnished with for a job.

Another thing that should be mentioned from what we saw was a very present and effective sense of humor. It was not pervasive or unnecessary, but is exactly what you would expect from something written by Jon Favreau. The comedic bits work and are welcome, even if it’s just something as small as a throwaway reference to Life Day.

While I can’t speak to the canon of any of what I saw, as I’m not a devout Star Wars head, I can say that, as a lay person, the show looks entertaining and worth checking out, whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not. It’s a space western, and you don’t get too many of those. So, if you’re into that kind of genre mashup, you’re almost obligated to watch, when they do come around.

Following the screening of the footage, a press conference took place. Present were Favreau, Filoni, and actors Pascal, Carano, and Weathers. Favreau led things off by talking about how his whole taste in movies was formed through Star Wars, and it was his inroad to appreciating movies. He looks at this first live-action Star Wars series as a return to the Saturday morning serial, since it will be released one episode at a time, rather than with the Netflix all episodes at once binge model. He also mentioned that George Lucas had told him that he sees the future of Star Wars as episodic and serialized.

Dave Filoni said something that the footage proved out, that there was less separation these days as far as look and budget between film and television. One only needs to look to Game of Thrones as an illustrating example.

The actors were coming in from set for the occasion, and Pascal seemed to be particularly tired, having pulled an all-nighter. A member of the press asked them when they had each fully realized that they were acting in the Star Wars universe. Pascal commented that for him it was when he first put on his character’s helmet. He described it as a “super pinch me moment.” For Carano, it was her first day on set as she saw her character’s costume coming together. 

Carl Weathers was very fortunate in his casting, as what started as a small part got much bigger with time, as the show’s writers kept adding more to his role. He even got Jon Favreau to promise to let him direct an episode of the show if he agreed to take the part, and Favreau, true to his word, hired him to helm an episode of the show’s currently shooting second season.

Directors of the first season’s episodes include Taika Waititi and Bruce Dallas Howard. Waititi also voices a character, IG-11, and Favreau described him as a creative powerhouse. The one rule in hiring directors was that they were willing to collaborate and loved Star Wars. I’m sure they won’t ever want for willing candidates who fit that bill to fill the role of director in however many seasons the show runs.

That’s all for The Mandalorian press event. As previously mentioned, the show will be part of Disney+ when it becomes available starting November 12th. Check it out, and come back to LRM Online for discussion of it and the upcoming theatrical release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

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