The Mandalorian: Exclusive footage revealed at Star Wars Celebration Chicago - CNET

Star Wars Celebration fans got an exclusive look at footage from The Mandalorian.

Lucasfilm

No disintegrations. Fans at Star Wars Celebration Chicago got an exclusive look at The Mandalorian, the first live action Star Wars show, at a Sunday panel. While much of it was broadcast on the internet, two features were screened only for the audience that made it to Chicago.

The Mandalorian will be released on the Disney Plus streaming service when the Netflix-rival launches on Nov. 12, and Sunday's panel provided more information about the show since it was announced. Pedro Pascal (best known for playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones) will play the titular role and wear armor similar to that of classic character Boba Fett.

The panel is still available to watch on the Star Wars YouTube channel, with exclusive footage blacked out, but we've got a full recap from the ground at Celebration Chicago.

Executive Producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni first took the stage to reveal the origins of the show, which is set five years after Return of the Jedi. The two met at Skywalker Ranch around 2007; Filoni was the first person to see Iron Man, and he showed Favreau CGI animated series The Clone Wars (which is making a comeback on Disney Plus: check out that panel later Sunday.

The Star Wars underworld was a very rich storytelling environment, according to Favreau, and he wanted to get back to the tone of the old western and samurai films that inspired George Lucas. The Legends canon, Star Wars novels and media created before Disney took them out of continuity to pave the way for 2015's The Force Awakens, was also mined to get ideas for the show.

Then cast members Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano and Carl Weathers hit the stage to talk about their characters.

Pascal was pretty coy about the character at the panel.

"The Mandalorian is a mysterious lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy," Pascal said. "Some might say he has questionable moral character."

Carano's character is named Cara Dune, an ex-Rebel Alliance shock trooper, while Weathers plays Greef Carga, and it sounds like his character will work closely with Pascal's. 

Gina Carano is playing Cara Dune.

Lucasfilm

"He's kinda the head of this guild of bounty hunters," Weathers revealed. "The Mando is a guy who he figures can get the job done."

The panel exclusively showed attendees a sizzle reel that opened with the Mandalorian walking on a bridge on an icy world, following a transponder to a shelter. Presumably he was hunting a mark.

It flashed through moments from the show's production, showing directors like Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas-Howard and Taika Waititi. We got a look at the Mandalorian's ship, called the Razorcrest, and it's apparently a homage to Jango Fett's original ship (Kuat Drive Yards Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport/infantry) seen in the Legends canon 2002 video game Bounty Hunter.

Pascal is seen being suited up, with Favreau noting that new planets, races, species and starships will be introduced.

"It's beautiful hearing the fans react to it," Weathers said.

Stormtroopers from the 501st cosplay group were recruited for The Mandalorian.

Sean Keane/CNET

Favreau revealed that they found they didn't have enough Stormtroopers for a scene at one point during production, but Filoni knew some superfans who could help out -- members of the 501st cosplay group got to play a role.

Favreau and Filon answered a few questions from Twitter, revealing that they discussed where the Mandalorians were during the prequels and Original Trilogy. We know about the former from The Clone Wars and Rebels CGI animated series, and hinted that this show would fill in the gaps for the latter.

They also highlighted that Favreau finished one of his scripts on Christmas Day and how Filoni has written one episode.

In describing more of his character, Pascal further pushes the western and samurai edge. "He's got a lot of Clint Eastwood in him," Pascal said, noting that he watched a lot of Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa movies to prepare.

Fans attending got another exclusive look at a scene in that most classic of Star Wars locations: a cantina. There we find Mandalorian and Weathers' Greef discussing a big time job, which Mando agrees to.

He steps out into a Mos Eisley-style marketplace, where we see a Kowakian monkey-lizard (like Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi) and another cowering in a cage behind him. No doubt they'll be delicious.

Carl Weathers plays Greef Carga.

Lucasfilm

Arriving at a door, the Mandalorian must pass a TT-8L/Y7 gatekeeper droid (a security camera on a stalk like the one seen at the entrance to Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi) using a clit given to him by Reef. He steps into a room and finds himself surrounded by a bunch of Stormtroopers in dirty armor -- these Outer Rim worlds are pretty grimy!). They note that the bounty hunter is outnumbered. 

"We have you four to one," a Stormtrooper says. 

"I like those odds," Pascal's character shoots back.

After a brief interruption from a doctor (Omid Abtahi), Werner Hergog's unnamed character offers him Beskar in exchange for a mysterious 50-year-old bounty, dead or alive. Beskar, AKA Mandalorian iron, is what their awesome armor is made of -- it was previously seen in Rebels.

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The beskar is stamped with the Imperial symbol -- perhaps the oppressive regime seized it after Mandalore rebelled in Rebels? The Mandalorian notes that the beskar belongs with his people, and that they need to restore order after a time of disarray -- seems like their rebellion failed.

Panel attendees were then treated to a montage of scenes from the show.

"Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?" Herzgog asks, referring to the fall of the Empire.

We then catch a glimpse of Giancarlo Esposito, who plays an awesome looking Imperial officer wearing a black cape and armor (like a more battle-ready Krennic from Rogue One) as he leads a squad of Stormtroopers to a residence.

"Burn them out," he says, before a flamethrower-wielding trooper (in cool red-accented armor) lets loose.

The Mandalorian is ready to bring a little chaos.

Lucasfilm

He's later seen flying a TIE fighter, so he's clearly a multi-talented guy.

We also caught glimpses of bounty hunters that like a whole lot like 4-LOM and IG-88, previously seen on Vader's Super Star Destroyer in The Empire Strikes Back, and a gunslinger apparently played by comedian Bill Burr.

"Look outside. I see nothing but death and chaos."

We get a taste of that as the Mandalorian takes down a group of Stormtroopers with his Holiday Special-style rifle -- culminating in his smashing open an unlucky trooper's helmet with the butt.

The chaos will continue when The Mandalorian hits Disney Plus on Nov. 12

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2019-04-14 19:09:00Z
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