The Mandalorian is going to deliver a new brand of Star Wars gunslinger to the small screen, with Pedro Pascal starring as a bounty hunter who looks like he'll do anything to get what he's after. While Pascal's character will be entirely original to The Mandalorian, he recently revealed that there is a certain classic Star Wars character who inspired him on the new show, among others. Pascal shared that Star Wars character, saying this:
Under the helmet, without really telling anybody ... Han Solo is my hero. Han Solo is my hero.
Pedro Pascal, who was born in 1975, also said that he grew up with Star Wars, and I'm sure he's not the only one who grew up with these films to consider Han Solo a hero. Most Star Wars fans just don't have the chance to take their love of Han Solo with them to star in their own Star Wars project!
Based on the Mandalorian trailer, I think it's safe to say that Pedro Pascal's character will always be the one who shoots first, just like Han Solo did in the original theatrical cut of the original trilogy, despite George Lucas trying to claim otherwise.
Considering some of executive producer Jon Favreau's comments about The Mandalorian, we can probably rule out Han Solo appearing on the show, which does make sense. Pedro Pascal's character is supposed to be working in the outskirts of the galaxy, and the fact that the show is set five years after Return of the Jedi means that Han is presumably on the straight and narrow at the moment with Leia.
Han Solo isn't the only legendary character to inspire Pedro Pascal's character in The Mandalorian, as Pascal revealed in the interview with the Los Angeles Times:
The character is very much built on the iconic presence of the Man With No Name in the Sergio Leone movies, played by Clint Eastwood, [and] the lone samurai in Akira Kurosawa. It’s aesthetically and very, very much narratively built in that kind of iconic lone gunslinger/sword-wielder.
What do Han Solo, Clint Eastwood from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and the lone samurai have in common? Apparently, they all impacted Pedro Pascal's character on The Mandalorian! The character doesn't look like he'll be swinging a sword based on the trailer, but he also looks deadly enough that I could believe he could turn anything into a weapon.
Whatever happens, it will apparently look pretty great. The CGI in The Mandalorian will reportedly be better than the prequel trilogy special effects, and George Lucas gave Jon Favreau some solid advice about the series. Throw in the A+ cast (which now officially includes an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star), and there's a lot to look forward to.
Season 2 is apparently already in development, so don't worry that the show will be a one-and-done when it launches with Disney+ in November. There are plenty of other options coming in the not-too-distant future as well, and you can find them on our fall TV premiere schedule.
