DAVE FILONI I do not think that everything you can prepare for the reaction to be so very dormant. It seemed like everyone was just in love with this little man we knew from the shoot. The first person who really clocked it would get bigger than I realized [castmember] Werner Herzog. We were so focused on making and bringing life, but Werner was like, “This is really magical.”
Keeping the child a secret did not mean letting brands be made early, which left money on the table for Disney. Jon, how were those conversations?
JON FAVREAU I thought it was very important to note that there were surprises. When you promote a movie, you put your best stuff out there in the marketing campaign because you want everyone to see it that Friday. Television is different. You want to be able to build. You want to spread word-of-mouth. You want people to tune in and know that something will happen that they want to talk about.
At the end of episode five, “The Gunslinger”, a mysterious figure with tracks appears. Fans soon realized that Boba Fett had similar tracks in the original trilogy. How much do you debate when you should post such a tease?
FILONI We try to lay things out in the universe of Star Wars to feel authentic, but also to give a little nod, hints, whatever they may be. They can be small to large. You can watch a movie and you recognize Club Obi-Wan in [Indiana Jones and the] Temple of Doom, and that’s another kind of wink. Our things are always a little more in-universe. Jon and I love that game because we are fans. We both keep our eyes open for things we like as small connecting things that can mean something to people like us.
Dave, you are very close with George Lucas and are considered by many fans as his heir. What kind of feedback did he give you about season one?
FILONI Not a whole lot. We talk about other things. When I talk to him, I would like to get more knowledge. He will give me some reminders, especially before I shoot anything, about how much set-up I should try in a day, and I can vent his brain for certain things about how I should cover a scene. He has been very complimentary. I think he enjoyed the show, and he once said [that] now he gets to see it as a fan and see it as a viewer. My job is to bring this knowledge forward and pass on what I have learned from him in each discipline to Jon and the creative departments.
Given your production of many virtual sets, will that make it easier to get back to filming a potential third season amid COVID-19 restrictions?
FAVREAU The fact that the set contains much more is an advantage because you can limit the number of people. Many of the people who control it do so at a distance from what we call the Brain Bar, which is a bank of gaming computers, in essence. The number of people at the camera could be much smaller than that [usual]. We also shoot a lot outside, which is also useful. We are building for a moment in filming more than an animated production, where we have a lot of storyboards, a lot of discussion and quests in virtual reality. We use movie tools in VR almost the same way we did before The Lion King en The Jungle Book. Many times, the actors you see on screen are actually not on set.
Emmy-nominated Giancarlo Esposito made a big impact with limited screen time this season. Did you make a promise that he had even more to do in season two?
FAVREAU I had worked with him Jungle Book, and we worked together on a show called Revolution. That was me that I could put him off and call in an advantage. We knew he would bring a theatrical nature but also an emotional base because he is such a fantastic actor. I think Star Wars requires the actors to really ground it, because it can feel anything but awful. You really need some heavy hitters out there to bring reality to the world.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
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And the opportunities are …
Perhaps the biggest twist of the drama is the recording The Mandalorian. The Disney + Star Wars series by Jon Favreau, part Western and part IP machine, introduced the new platform Baby Yoda, hot for the young streamer and, now, a daunting 15-nomination interview at its first Emmys. As the only freshman series in a race full of aging and returning nominees and even one previous winner (The story of the maid), the element of surprise could certainly work in his favor. But are TV Academy voters ready to embrace a space opera in which the titular lead rarely shows its face in the most competitive category of the night? Game of Thrones proved that fantasy was not off the table, but the former Emmy champion was inevitably embedded in the zeitgeist. This is probably not the case The Mandalorianthe year. – MICHAEL O’CONNELL
This story first appeared in a stand-alone August issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
