The trailer for The Mandalorian season two is finally here and it’s about damn time. It’s an epic trailer that gives us a fantastic tease of what’s to come, while also revealing almost nothing about what is actually happening in a galaxy far, far, away.
So, to fill in some of the blanks the trailer conveniently, purposefully, leaves out, we wanted to recap all the news we’ve heard up until now. Here’s everything we’ve learned, or think we’ve learned, about The Mandalorian season two since the end of season one.
[referenced id=”1224612″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/06/all-of-the-best-moments-from-disney-gallery-star-wars-the-mandalorian/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20/ujiyiplzphkgwciapjcn-300×169.jpg” title=”All of the Best Moments From Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian” excerpt=”There’s a chance that over the past two months, you’ve missed some brand new Star Wars. That’s right. For the last eight weeks, Disney+ has been releasing new episodes of Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian, a behind the scenes documentary show about the making of, you guessed it, The…”]
The Official
There isn’t “a lot” in terms of official news — Lucasfilm tries to keep things close to the vest — but there’s some. We know that show returns to Disney+ on October 30. It’ll once again be eight episodes (meaning we’re likely to get the full season before the year is out), though not every episode will be the same length. There will be more new characters (more on that below), more planets, more of a galactic feel, and not all episodes will solely focus on the Mandalorian and the Child.
Things will pick up pretty much right after the first season ended, with Mando (aka Din Djarin) and the Child (aka Baby Yoda) setting off to figure out their place in the world. As expected, they’ll be pursued by Darksaber-wielder Moff Gideon, whose relationship with Mando is likely to shift. (And he will be using that Darksaber a lot.)
Episodes will be directed by series co-creator Jon Favreau (for the first time), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga himself), Robert Rodriguez, and Peyton Reed, in addition to returning directors like Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, and Bryce Dallas Howard. (That’s only seven. Someone does double duty.)
[referenced id=”1447457″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/09/breaking-down-the-epic-sights-and-mysterious-quests-of-the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer-2/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/16/zwifd6dmbrioufqochr6-300×169.gif” title=”Breaking Down the Epic Sights and Mysterious Quests of The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer” excerpt=”It’s here. After months of waiting, rumours, and more speculation than you can shake a jetpack at, the trailer for The Mandalorian’s second season has arrived. And with it, a whole new look at what’s in store for our clan of two — and some very intriguing hints on what’s…”]
As for reveals in the trailer, as you can see in our breakdown, it only bolsters the above information. New planets, a bigger journey, etc. Very little in the ways of specifics. There is some Gamorrean fighting (which Favreau teased last year) and a mysterious new character played by WWE superstar Sasha Banks. That, by far, was the biggest reveal, though we aren’t sure who she’s playing.
If lots of that sounds vague, well, welcome to the club. It’s both a lot and nothing. But there’s more than just the official.
The Rumours
Most of the biggest rumours regarding what may happen in season two of The Mandalorian have to do with casting. The juiciest one is that Rosario Dawson is joining the show as former Jedi apprentice turned Rebel badass Ahsoka Tano, which would be the first time we’d see the Dave Filoni-George Lucas character in live action. If that’s true, she’d be a character who knew the importance of the Child and could help the Mandalorian in his quest. She’s also got a whole lot of her own story left to tell.
Another exciting rumour has to do with a fellow bounty hunter in Mandalorian armour. We think Temura Morrison, who played the basis for the Clone Army Jango Fett, could be joining the show as none other than former Sarlacc resident, Boba Fett. Since Boba Fett is literally a genetic clone of Jango, really, Morrison is the only actor for the job. The question though is, “Wait, isn’t Boba freaking dead?” We’ll have to see.
But wait, there’s more. Prior to The Mandalorian’s first season, when last fans saw the Darksaber, it was in the hands of Bo-Katan Kryze, voiced by Katee Sackhoff on The Clone Wars and Rebels. Well, since she no longer has it, it seems likely she may want it back. Rumour is Sackhoff could reprise her voice role in live-action here. This casting rumour, out of all of them, makes the most sense. The storyline has already been well seeded.
Oh, and it’s also possible Morrison will pull double duty and play Captain Rex, bringing Dave Filoni’s Clone War dreams full circle. But, again, that’s only a rumour.
Those might be the big character names in terms of rumours, but they’re only the start. Actor Timothy Olyphant is also, supposedly, joining the show, in a minor role from the novels as a character named Cobb Vanth. Vanth uses an old set of Mandalorian armour he found on Tatooine (hmm, wasn’t the Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine?) to drum up peace and justice in a nearby settlement. Only, he’s not Mandalorian, he’s just posing. If Olyphant is indeed playing that role, maybe he’d cross paths with any number of bounty hunting Mandalorians — and they probably wouldn’t be too happy with him. Again, just a rumour, but an intriguing and fascinating one.
Finally, the last big casting rumour: Michael Biehn, co-star of Aliens and Terminator, is apparently joining in an unspecified role.
Mandalorian cast member Gina Carano recently said that “Some of them are true, some are not true” in regards to the casting rumours, so time will tell if she’s being honest or not. Either way, all of these characters somehow vaguely fit into a story that vaguely fits into the statements we know officially. We just need the glue to put it all together.
Season 3?
The last unofficial, but very likely, thing to know about season two of The Mandalorian is it’s unlikely to be the end of the series. While the covid-19 pandemic has certainly made physical production of content more difficult, credible sources say season three is already in development. This means that whether all this is true or not, more Mando is probably on the way.
We’ll find out more about all of this if a second trailer is released, and a whole bunch more when The Mandalorian season two debuts October 30.
[referenced id=”1443048″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/09/this-mandalorian-video-illustrates-just-how-wild-the-production-was/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/15/ue8t7ayylcr6jwrpopr0-300×168.png” title=”This Mandalorian Video Illustrates Just How Wild the Production Was” excerpt=”One of the most impressive things about The Mandalorian is the way that it gives you a rather solid idea of what life is like for people living in the larger Star Wars universe. But as grounded in reality as the show makes things seem, it truly is just a game…”]
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.