Catch Up on the Intergalactic Dirt Before The Mandalorian Premieres on Disney+ This Fall

According to the official Star Wars website, the series will follow the adventures of a new deadly gunfighter whose story is not unlike bounty hunters' from previous trilogies, Jango and Boba Fett. Pascal (who is probably best known for playing Game of Thrones' Prince Oberyn), will portray the "lone Mandalorian gunfighter" who takes viewers into the outer reaches of the galaxy "far from the authority of the New Republic." As Pascal told Entertainment Weekly, the Mandalorian wants to do the right thing, "but his duties could very much be in conflict with that — and doing the right thing has many faces."

At the show panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Favreau revealed that he was inspired by the idea of a "world after Return of the Jedi, and what would happen, and the type of characters that would survive, and what it was like before the New Republic took over. You have only the strong surviving, you have chaos taking over in the galaxy."

The series will follow bounty hunters (like the unnamed Mandalorian), gunfighters, and former soldiers as they attempt to find their way in the lawless parts of the galaxy after the fall of the Empire. According to EW, the production team behind the series expects to explore the formation of the First Order, whose origins are still unknown to Star Wars fans.

The Mandalorian takes place seven years after Return of the Jedi, making it several years after the fall of the Empire, but before TFA. Considering the timeframe, it's unlikely that we'll be seeing characters from the new trilogy — at least the younger ones like Rey and Finn. The series is meant to focus on a whole new set of characters, so the likelihood of seeing any of our favorites is slim; but we're still holding out hope!

The series boasts a pretty exceptional cast. Joining Pedro Pascal are Gina Carano, Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Omid Abtahi, and Werner Herzog. Even Marvel director Taika Waititi has signed on to voice a new character named IG-11 (as well as directing an episode or two). Whew, that's a lot of star power!

Jon Favreau, the executive producer, is directing the first episode; having plenty of experience with Disney after directing Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Jungle Book, and 2019's huge live-action remake of The Lion King. Favreau will team up with Dave Filoni, who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson are also executive producers!

As for the rest of the episodes? Disney has tapped all kinds of talent. Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Bryce Dallas Howard, and Dope's Rick Famuyiwa will direct additional episodes in the series.

Favreau confirmed at the D23 Expo this year that the series will be released weekly, episode by episode, rather than all at once.