Jon Favreau aims to bridge generations with ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’
Jon Favreau, director of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” poses during an online press conference with Korean media, Thursday. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
Director Jon Favreau is set to bring the iconic “Star Wars” franchise back to movie theaters for the first time in nearly seven years, aiming to capture both longtime fans and a fresh generation.
The filmmaker emphasized that the franchise's latest installment, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” serves as a perfect gateway for newcomers.
"It's my great pleasure to present 'Star Wars' to movie theaters for the first time in almost seven years. I hope this is an opportunity to introduce both new people to 'Star Wars,' but also an opportunity to engage with all the fans who've been there since the beginning,” Favreau said during an online press conference with Korean media on Thursday.
A scene from “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
The upcoming feature film serves as a big-screen continuation of "The Mandalorian" series, which first debuted in 2019.
The story follows the lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) operating in the outer reaches of the galaxy, who forms a bond with a vulnerable, force-sensitive child named Grogu. Together, they embark on a dangerous journey across the stars.
Favreau said that the immense global popularity of Grogu, boosted by social media, made it the ideal candidate to lead the franchise back into theaters.
"Grogu, or baby Yoda, is very popular around the world," Favreau said. "These characters felt like they might be a good first experience for engaging with a new audience and bringing them into the movie theaters to see ‘Star Wars’ the way that ‘Star Wars’ was originally presented."
To maintain the core DNA of the franchise created by George Lucas 50 years ago, Favreau worked closely with his creative partner Dave Filoni, co-writer of the movie, to blend timeless, mythic storytelling with cutting-edge visual effects.
He added the heart of the movie lies in the emotional progression of Din Djarin, who transforms from a cold bounty hunter into a protective father figure.
"He went from a character who seemingly didn't have a conscience. He was a bounty hunter, and now through the relationship with the child, he's become somebody who's fighting on the side of good and on the side of becoming a parent," the director said. "His heart got open from this relationship, and it's that character progression that I think is at the center of the story."
A scene from “Star Wars: The Madalorian and Grogu” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea
The movie also delivers massive cinematic scale, featuring intense action sequences across land, sea and air. Favreau revealed that the most challenging scene to shoot was an underwater sequence involving lead actor Pascal and a giant monster.
"We chose to have Pascal's face visible, which means that we couldn't double him," Favreau said. "Here it had to be Pascal in the water, and we had to go above and below the water with the camera, and we had to have him interact with a giant monster. It was very slow work, very challenging, but I'm very happy with the results."
Reflecting on recent celebrations in Seoul for Star Wars Day on May 4 and Children's Day on May 5, Favreau expressed hope that the new film will unify audiences of all ages, just as previous iterations did for different generations.
"Each generation hits a certain age and they engage with the ‘Star Wars’ that is happening at that point in their life," Favreau said. "This is an opportunity to bring those fans in, and I think all of the ‘Star Wars’ fandom benefits when we have fresh blood in the fan community and a whole new generation that shares our passion for ‘Star Wars.’”
“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” will be released in Korean theaters on Wednesday.