DUBAI: The “Star Wars” franchise is heading back to movie theaters. And this time, it’s bringing Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, and everyone’s favorite tiny green scene-stealer along for the ride.
Co-written by “The Mandalorian” series co-creators Jon Favreau and new Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni with Noah Kloor, and directed by Favreau, “The Mandalorian & Grogu” follows Pascal’s helmet-wearing bounty hunter Din Djarin and his sidekick-in-training, Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), on an all-new adventure.
Pascal spoke during a recent press conference about how deeply entwined the role of Din Djarin has become with his own life.
“It’s the longest creative relationship I’ve had,” he said, adding that his earliest cinema memories are of watching “Star Wars.” To have that childhood awe fold back into his adult career felt like “an embarrassment of gifts,” he said.
At the heart of the film is the evolving relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu. With Grogu now formally adopted under the Mandalorian creed, the actor hinted that the new film pushes the duo toward a more balanced partnership.
“From the very beginning, I think there’s a very parental instinct that is awakened in Din when he finds the child, but part of that has to do with his instinct that this creature has more power than he could possibly fathom — and power for good that must be guided and protected. So now that he’s officially adopted, they are on these thrilling adventures together as partners,” said Pascal.
Meanwhile, director Favreau framed the film — the 12th “Star Wars” feature — as a standalone adventure.
“When you do a fourth season of a show, you assume everybody’s seen what came before. When you’re bringing a “Star Wars” movie to the theater for the first time in a long time, there’s the anticipation that you may be inviting new viewers in, and so, although people were familiar with these two characters, I didn’t want to take for granted anything beyond that. So we had to start with a brand new adventure, a new script,” he said.
Favreau talked about directing the legendary Martin Scorsese, a filmmaker he idolized, in a cameo role as an alien chef. The experience proved unexpectedly relaxed. “Scorsese completely put me at ease,” he said.
Favreau also praised composer Ludwig Goransson for elevating the film. “When he heard we were doing this, he said, ‘We got to do something special and bigger, and better,’” Favreau said, crediting Göransson with creating themes that have become “iconic.”
On Weaver’s casting, Favreau osaidd that she “folds right into the genre,” adding a gravitas that lends credibility to the New Republic-era stakes.
Weaver, who plays pilot Colonel Ward, said the emotional pull of the relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu surprised her most. To her, the two are connected not simply through mentorship, but through loneliness, grief and shared belonging. Both characters are orphans who have found one another, she said, adding extra emotional weight to the familiar father-son dynamic.
Both actors were excited about how much practical filmmaking shaped their performances. Weaver admitted she initially expected endless green screens before discovering elaborate physical environments, including the Razor Crest spacecraft recreated in striking detail. She was also delighted by the costume department, enthusiastically recalling her “classic orange jumpsuit” and the miniature droids roaming around set.
Pascal said that although the production was on a larger scale than the show, the collaborative atmosphere built over time remained, adding that — despite the chaos, explosions, and galactic danger — being on set was a lot of fun, crediting stunt performers and world-builders for creating a “playground” as imaginative as it was intense.
Weaver took a moment to reflect on why sci-fi continues to resonate so strongly with audiences.
“I think it’s a very hopeful, optimistic view of our future,” she said. “(We have a few) evil empires to deal with here on Earth before we can all work together and send spacecraft into space to find out if there really are other beings out there. I’ve always been fascinated by the stars.”
