The Mandalorian showrunner reveals how George Lucas helped with season 2

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Mandalorian season 2 not only marks the return of Baby Yoda, it marks the return of another Star Wars icon: creator George Lucas.

No, he doesn’t have a walk-on part (we think – keep an eye out), but Lucas was present on set of Mando’s second season and even provided some tips to director Dave Filoni.

"He would be giving Dave a hard time about how many setups he was getting and how fast he was shooting and urging him to go faster," showrunner and creator Jon Favreau told Entertainment Weekly. "He was like a boxer's corner man coaching him, but always with a twinkle in his eye."

That’s probably as close as we’ll get to seeing Lucas behind the camera again for an adventure in a galaxy far, far away but it’s especially comforting to know that Lucas’s reach isn’t far away from Star Wars.

It's not the first time Lucas has been in touch with Filoni about Star Wars' biggest series, even providing his reponse to The Mandalorian.

“He's been very complimentary,” Filoni told THR. “I think he's enjoyed the show, and he said once [that] now he gets to watch it as a fan and watch it as a viewer.” 

"He'll give me some reminders, especially before I shoot something, about how many setups I should try to get in a day, and I might rack his brain for certain things about how to cover a scene.”

Elsewhere, The Mandalorian season 2 now has a bunch of official images to get excited about. More on that here, including Baby Yoda hiding out in a pouch. Who doesn’t want to see that? Own up, monster.

Giancarlo Esposito has even teased how his villainous character, Moff Gideon, might not be a Big Bad – at least in his eyes.

“I’ll be going toe-to-toe with Mando,” Esposito said. “It’s an iconic battle. I want to disarm him mentally as well. Who knows? Maybe there’s an opportunity to get him to fight some battles for me. You may think I’m a villain, but I’m trying to harness some energy and some powers for a path that could be best for all. You'll get to see him be somewhat diplomatic and more of a manipulator."

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.