Whatever surprises The Mandalorian has in store for its upcoming third season, it’s going to be hard to top season 2’s emotional finale. Mark Hamill’s return as a de-aged Luke Skywalker caught most viewers off-guard when the episode aired over two years ago. Regardless, it still holds up as one of the show’s most memorable moments. And during a live conversation with Empire Magazine, series creator Jon Favreau discussed how he and his collaborators managed to keep Hamill’s role in The Mandalorian‘s season 2 finale under wraps.
The Star Wars franchise has a long history of using misdirection to keep fans (and even some of the cast and crew members) on their toes. Before The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980, Darth Vader’s now-iconic delivery of “I am your father” was replaced with “Obi-Wan killed your father” in the official screenplay. However, it sounds like Favreau took things a few steps further while trying keep his own secrets on The Mandalorian.
“We shot Luke’s scene with a body double,” said Favreau. “His character was called Plo Koon in the script, he had an alien head in the production art. R2-D2 was painted green. There was a lot of subterfuge.”
“When R2D2 rolls in, that’s when it gets me,” added Favreau. “He was my Baby Yoda.”
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Favreau went on to praise the finale’s director, Peyton Reed, whom he called “a great partner on that episode. We had so much fun revealing things piece by piece. The X-wing, the lightsaber, and then the John Williams score, incredible.” But above all else, he’s happy none of the shows big reveals got spoiled before release day.
“We had leaks from the show, but Baby Yoda didn’t get spoiled, and Luke didn’t get spoiled,” noted Favreau. “It was like everybody got to open a Christmas present at the same time.”
The Mandalorian season 3 will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, March 1.
Are you excited to see what surprises await us in the new episodes? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season Two)
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