What The Mandalorian Creator Jon Favreau Learned from Marvel and the MCU
Courtesy of movieweb.com:
Jon Favreau has revealed the influence he took from Marvel Studios when crafting The Mandalorian. Disney+ has a major hit on their hands with the first live-action Star Wars series and fans are eagerly awaiting season 2, which airs this fall on the streaming service. There were some worries that the public health crisis was going to delay the premiere, but Favreau and Disney have assured everybody that it will arrive on time.
Star Wars fans can be a hard audience to please. Looking at the latest sequel trilogy proves that, along with anything else that has been released on the big screen. However, not many people knew what to expect with The Mandalorian since the production was so secretive. After the first episode debuted, it was clear that people from all over were really into the show. Jon Favreau had this to say about crafting simpler stories with new characters.
“We wanted to really wind it back to the things that inspired the original Star Wars and really get it small in scale and tell simple stories, because part of what you inherit when you’re going to see Star Wars now is this whole history, because the stories have been told for decades, and it was nice, with the new medium, to be able to start with a new set of characters to introduce a new audience.”
Hardcore Star Wars fans and people who aren’t even familiar with the franchise got swept up in Baby Yoda fever. The Mandalorian was able to seemingly please just about everyone, which is a balance that Jon Favreau learned from working with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. You can read what Favreau had to say about working with Feige and its influence on The Mandalorian below.
“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’ve been there with the property and with the stories and the characters for so many years, and make sure that you’re honoring them, as well.”
Jon Favreau, with the help of Dave Filoni, was able to create a new show that catered to the hardcore fans, while keeping fresh and new for younger audiences. There are plenty of layers for long-time fans to enjoy, which also sets up younger fans on a rich journey of backstory to go back and discover from the original trilogy, all the way too shows like The Clone Wars. Plus, everybody is now in the same boat as they try and solve the mystery of the Child.
While Jon Favreau learned a lot from Dave Filoni, it was beneficial relationship for both men. Favreau gained an encyclopedic Star Wars mind from Filoni, while Filoni gained knowledge and experience working in the live-action realm. It’s these benefits that carry over to The Mandalorian season 2, which will be passed on down to the fans. The interview with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni was originally conducted by Deadline.
