Seeing how the previously planned Boba Fett movie is no longer on the agenda, upcoming Star Wars show The Mandalorian might be the closest we’ll ever get to witnessing the legendary bounty hunter in another live-action adventure. But when actor Pedro Pascal was first briefed by showrunner Jon Favreau on the highly anticipated Disney Plus series, the star was momentarily under the impression that Boba and the show’s similarly dressed title character were actually one and the same.
Speaking to Disney’s Twenty-Three magazine, Pascal reflected on an early meeting with Favreau, when the Lion King helmsman broke the news that he’d landed the show’s starring role:
“I wanted to meet Jon Favreau. I didn’t care what he wanted me to do. So we met in Jon’s office, which was covered with story illustrations from this show — and I noticed the Mandalorian, a Boba Fett-looking character, immediately. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, it’s amazing that they are finally gonna get into this character.’ Jon talked about the story, visuals, and tone. I thought it was amazing and finally asked, ‘Well, who am I?’ I’m pointing to different characters, creatures, and aliens in the concept art, and John just looked at me and said ‘You’re the Mandalorian.’”
Due to a misunderstanding, Pascal initially believed that The Mandalorian was intended as a Boba Fett TV series, before Favreau quickly corrected him:
“I was like, ‘WHAT? I get to play Boba Fett?’ He said, ‘No, he’s not Boba Fett. He’s the Mandalorian.’ I couldn’t have imagined a better moment.”
During a recent interview with Good Morning America, Favreau clarified that Boba “is not one of the all-new original characters” to feature in the show, explaining that the focus is on exploring “a 30-year stretch of story time that hasn’t been explored at all, except in the extended universe.”
Of course, we can never entirely rule out a Boba Fett comeback somewhere down the line, especially if Lucasfilm’s first batch of Disney Plus shows find success. After The Mandalorian has made its premiere, we’re expecting the release of a Rogue One spinoff series that will feature Diego Luna once more in the role of Cassian Andor. On top of that, Disney finally announced the long rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show at last month’s D23 Expo, which will serve as Ewan McGregor’s first proper outing in the franchise since the Prequel Trilogy.
We’ll find out if The Mandalorian can get this new wave of small screen adventures off to a strong start when the series comes to Disney Plus on November 12th.