Warning: Spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in theaters, and in typical Star Wars fashion, the film has generated quite a bit of interest since its release. Characters like Rotta the Hutt have been the subject of much discussion in the Star Wars fandom, as has the limited presence of Pedro Pascal in the film.
Not all of the attention has been positive, however, with some questioning the film’s box office performance. The Mandalorian and Grogu recently crossed the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office, meaning that it’s currently the lowest grossing movie in the franchise, below 2018s Solo: A Star Wars Story, which made just short of $400 million.
Still, there’s a lot to like in The Mandalorian and Grogu. It’s a hyper entertaining film, and one that features some jaw-dropping action shot with IMAX cameras. That alone makes it more than worthy of the big screen, which may help boost its box office in the coming weeks.
Disney are also hoping that Jon Favreau’s director’s commentary, which was recorded in partnership with TheaterEars and can be listened to through their app, will entice more audiences to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters. Favreau’s commentary is truly insightful, providing lots of behind-the-scenes facts about the film and plenty of context to the latest chapter of Din Djarin and Grogu’s story.
Jon Favreau Reuses An Old Iron Man Trick
The first scene of the film shows an Imperial warlord meeting with his constituents on the ice planet of Hoth. Although the gathering takes place inside, the planet is so cold that cold air emits when they speak. This effect wasn’t created by CGI, and is instead the result of an old trick that Jon Favreau first used on Iron Man.
In order to successfully capture the freezing cold temperatures of the planet, Favreau instructed the crew to chill the set overnight. When they returned the following morning to film the scene, the crew pumped moisture into the air, which meant that the characters had cold air coming out of their mouths as they spoke.
An Opening Inspired By Indiana Jones And James Bond
The aforementioned Imperial warlord is the first villain that Mando and Grogu face in the film. Favreau revealed that the extended sequence that the warlord appears in was designed with the openings of James Bond and Indiana Jones films in mind. Favreau noted that, in those franchises, audiences get reacquainted with the characters as they’re in the middle of a mission, which is exactly where we find Din and Grogu at the start of the film.
Return To Adelphi Base Inspired By Apocalypse Now
After the opening mission is complete, Din, Grogu, and Zeb travel back to the Adelphi Base of the New Republic. It’s during this sequence that the credits appear on the screen, and as they roll, there’s a shot of the X-wings coming in to land on the base with the sun setting in the background. Favreau revealed in the director’s commentary that this shot was inspired by a similar visual in Francis Ford Coppolla’s Apocalypse Now.
Razor Crest Miniature
After the credits end, Colonel Ward, played by Sigourney Weaver, presents Din Djarin with a new Razor Crest, taken from a captured Imperial. This becomes Djarin’s ship for the rest of the movie, and it appears again on the Adelphi Base at several other points as the story progresses. Favreau noted that all the shots of the Razor Crezt on this planet were of a miniature created specifically for this film.
The Hutt’s Throneroom
Colonel Ward then presents Djarin with his next mission — to capture the mysterious Imperial Commander Coin. To do this, he and Grogu must first complete a mission for the Hutt twins, who made their debut in 2021s The Book of Boba Fett. The father-son duo travel to Nal Hutta to speak with the twins and get more information on the mission they’re being tasked with.
They speak with the twins in their throne room, which is visually reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt’s infamous throne room in Return of the Jedi. Favreau revealed that this sequence, and every scene in the throne room in the new film, was filmed entirely on the Volume.
Shakari Is Chicago In Space (And Inspired By Blade Runner)
When The Mandalorian and Grogu first released, fans noted that the planet Shakari was similar to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Favreau confirms that this was intentional, as he wanted to have a futuristic sci-fi planet. Favreau also stated that Shakari was inspired by prohibition era Chicago.
CGI Din Djarin
While on Shakari, Din Djarin asks Hugo Durant for information on the whereabouts of Rotta the Hutt and Lord Janu (later revealed to be Commander Coin). Djarin visits Durant at his food truck, even going inside at one point to speak with him. Favreau stated that the shots of Mando inside Hugo Durant’s food truck were entirely CGI as the crew couldn’t get the angles and spacing right for the scene.
The Salt Diner Brawl
Hugo Durant directs Din to the Salt Diner, where Lord Janu often spends his time. Din goes there and is greeted with hostility from henchmen of Lord Janu, and a brawl ensues. Favreau stated that this fight sequence was inspired by the iconic tea shop scene of John Woo’s Hard Boiled.
Janu Coin’s Animal Cages
The Salt Diner has rare creatures from across the galaxy hanging in cages on the ceiling, as Lord Janu is shown to be highly interested in gathering unique species in order to train them to fight in his pit. Favreau stated that interns at Legacy Effects were given the opportunity to design these cages in the bar.
A Callback To The Phantom Menace
Din Djarin tries to warn Rotta the Hutt that Lord Janu is setting him up to die in his last match, but the son of Jabba doesn’t believe him. Din tries to break Rotta out, but is gassed and knocked out during his attempt. He then finds himself in Lord Janu’s pit, slated to fight against Rotta in front of a roaring crowd.
Din and Rotta eventually team up once the latter realizes what Lord Janu’s ultimate plan is. As they do so, a number of dangerous creatures are released into the pit, and red barriers appear around the edges that lock Din Djarin and Rotta the Hutt in the gladiator arena. Favreau states that these red laser barriers were inspired by similar dividers seen in The Phantom Menace, during the final battle between Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon.
Dave Filoni Filmed The Puppet Sequences
There are many puppet sequences that take place in The Mandalorian and Grogu, especially as the film progresses and the Anzellans are introduced. Favreau confirmed that Dave Filoni, who co-wrote the film and is now the co-president of Lucasfilm, directed all of these puppet scenes for the new movie.
Chaos On The Streets Of Shakari
After the Dejarik match concludes, the creatures break out of the pit and cause havoc on the city streets. Favreau said that this chaos was inspired by similar scenes in films such as Ghostbusters, King Kong, Jumanji, and Mighty Joe Young.
Din And Grogu Chase Rotta
During this chaos, Rotta tries to escape from Din and Grogu, desperate to avoid the Hutt twins. A chase ensues, with Rotta riding on a speeder and Din using his jetpack. Eventually, with Zeb’s help, Rotta is stopped and taken into the Razor Crest. Favreau revealed that this sequence was inspired by two films: William Friedkin’s The French Connection and John Landis’ The Blues Brothers.
Din Djarin And Rotta’s Evolving Relationship
At this moment in the film, Din and Rott’s relationship is contentious. They have differing objectives, with Din focused solely on capturing Commander Coin and Rotta doing everything in his power to escape the twins. However, after Din and Rotta have a heart to heart, they become allies, and this evolving relationship was inspired by the film Midnight Run, Favreau revealed.
Grogu And Rotta Sleeping
With the information Rotta provides, Din is able to piece together that Lord Janu is Commander Janu Coin. Din and Zeb raid Janu’s home, and as they’re battling his arsenal of stormtroopers, Grogu is seen sleeping on top of Rotta. The shot of them sleeping together was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, according to Favreau.
An American Graffiti Callback
From there, Janu Coin is captured and taken to the Adelphi Base, and Din and Grogu go back to Nevarro in the Razor Crest. Mando recruits the Anzellans to remove the Razor Crest’s restrictors to enhance speed, and this idea came from Favreau wanting to evoke George Lucas’ American Graffiti and his love for hot rod culture.
Rotta And Grogu On The Beach
There’s a touching moment in the film where Rotta and Grogu are seen playing with each other on a beach. Favreau revealed that this was the very first scene shot for the movie, and that both Rotta and Grogu were added in later via CGI.
Edgar Wright’s Influence on Embo
The peace on Nevarro doesn’t last long for Din and Grogu as the Hutts attempt to take revenge. The villainous bounty hunter Embo tracks them to Nevarro and is seen in the planet’s main village. Favreau revealed that Embo originally didn’t appear until he raided the protagonists’ home, but filmmaker Edgar Wright suggested that Embo appear earlier, so the shot of him in the city was added.
Anzellan Speeders And The Jetsons
The Anzellans are shown to have a number of vehicles at their disposal. One is a ship that they later use to travel to Nal Hutta, and the other is a speeder that they travel around Nevarro on. Favreau noted that the sound of the Anzellans’ speeder drew inspiration from the flying cars in The Jetsons.
Steven Spielberg’s Influence
After Embo raids Din’s house and captures the Mandalorian, he calls his ship, which pulls up behind him with lights beaming. Favreau stated that this shot was intentionally harkening back to a similar visual seen in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
J.J. Abrams Visited The Set
The Anzellans have now appeared in two Star Wars movies in a row, first in The Rise of Skywalker and now in The Mandalorian and Grogu. JJ Abrams created these creatures for Episode IX, and he returned to Star Wars (very briefly) to visit the set of the new movie, offering guidance about how to use the Anzellans in the film.
Shirley Henderson’s Improvisation
Shirley Henderson plays the Anzellans, and, impressively, also does all the puppeteering as well. Henderson, who is most famous for her role as Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter franchise, even improvised one of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s most beloved lines, when one of the Anzellans says “big pipe, huh.”
Favreau Confirms Embo Doesn’t See Din Djarin’s Face
Embo brings Din to the Hutts, who then remove his helmet. Ultimately, Din doesn’t break the rules of his Mandalorian group because he goes on to kill the twins, but fans then had questions regarding whether Embo saw his face. Embo survives the film, meaning that Din’s helmet rule would have been broken if the bounty hunter saw his face. However, Favreau confirmed that Embo had already left the throne room by the time that Din Djarin’s helmet came off.
Din Djarin’s Samurai-Like Fighting Style
Din Djarin breaks out and eventually ends up fighting a number of creatures and droids as he fights to escape the grasp of the Hutts. At one point, Din uses a reverse katana thrust move against the enemies, which Favreau says was inspired by Yojimbo and Seven Samurai actor Toshirō Mifune. Mifune is one of the most recognizable stars in the history of the samurai movie genre.
Raccoons on Nal Hutta
Din finds himself heavily injured, but is out of the Hutt’s immediate vicinity, now in the wilderness of Nal Hutta. Interestingly, Favreau confirmed that almost the entirety of the planet was made via practical sets, and noted that a family of raccoons had moved into one of the sets during the production.
Rogue One Director Gareth Edwards Inspired The Droid Gotra
The Droid Gotra hunt Din Djarin down, making their first appearance in live action after having previously been introduced in Star Wars comics. Favreau says that the updated designs for some of the droids were inspired by the movie The Creator, by Rogue One director Gareth Edwards.
Yoda Species Lore
Grogu evolves during this specific section of the film, going from the baby to the protector. During this stretch, he gets a walking stick and even builds a small hut for his father, similar to the one Yoda lived in in The Empire Strikes Back. Favreau says that this was intentional, with the writer/director wanting to show these as fixtures of the Yoda species and their home world.
Grogu’s Emergence From The Swamp
Grogu spends some time in a swamp on Nal Hutta, and at one point emerges from the lake in a shot again inspired by Apocalypse Now, according to Favreau.
Grogu And The Dark Crystal
More broadly, Favreau also cited Jim Henson, and in particular, his work on The Dark Crystal, as the main influence behind the puppet work with Grogu on Nal Hutta.
Grogu’s Meditation Was Added Late
Grogu mediates, much like a Jedi would, on Nal Hutta, and Favreau stated that this shot was added on the day of filming and was not planned. Favreau thought this would be a good way of showing what Grogu had learned from his time training under Luke Skywalker.
Ludwig Goransson’s Wife Helped Compose The Score
Ludwig Goransson’s score has been one of the most praised elements of The Mandalorian and Grogu since the film released. Favreau said that the score ended up being a family affair, as Goransson’s wife played the violin to help compose the film’s music.
Marvel And DC Inspirations
After recovering from his snake bite, Din travels with Grogu back to the Hutt throne room to defeat them once and for all. They come up against huge stop-motion droid guards, which Favreau says were designed with Iron Monger from Iron Man in mind. Favreau also said that the DC Comics character Metallo was another inspiration behind the design.
Favreau Parallels Greek Mythology
Din fights the droids and eventually defeats one of them by stabbing it in its eye. Favreau says this was an intentional parallel to the legend of Polyphemus in Greek Mythology.
The Inclusion Of The Red Jammer Y-Wing
During the filming of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars creator George Lucas was hard at work on his museum. Jon Favreau said that he and the creative team on the film asked Lucas for permission to use the Red Jammer Y-Wing, planned to be at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, for the production of the movie. Lucas granted their request and the Y-wing was included in the final cut of the film.
Mando, Grogu, And Rotta’s Jump
After defeating the Hutts and their droid army, Din, Grogu, and Rotta are forced to jump from the building in order to escape the bombing from the New Republic in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Favreau stated that their jump from a cliff was inspired by a similar scene in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- Release Date
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May 20, 2026
- Runtime
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132 minutes
