The Mandalorian has been a huge hit for Lucasfilm during a time when they desperately need to win over fickle Star Wars fans. The response to the sequel trilogy was mixed at best, but everyone can agree that the adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu are a great example of what makes the franchise so great.
In charge of the "Mando-Verse" are Iron Man director Jon Favreau and The Clone Wars boss Dave Filoni. However, what you may not know is that the Armored Avenger played a key role in why The Mandalorian became a reality.
During a recent interview with Empire (via CBR), Favreau and Filoni revealed that they first met when the former was visiting the Skywalker Ranch to do Iron Man's sound mix. Filoni was in the process of helping launch The Clone Wars and the conversation that followed would prove key for this Galaxy's future.
Favreau recalls, "I casually said, 'Hey, if you ever need somebody to do a voice...' And then he called me up [to voice] Pre Vizsla [a Mandalorian warrior]."
Years later, Favreau would pitch The Mandalorian to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and it was then the idea of pairing him up with old friend Filoni came up.
"I felt instinctively when I saw Iron Man that Jon had a great handle on how Star Wars actually worked," Filoni explains. "It was a fun adventure - there were comedic elements, but there was also a lot of heart. That's something that's throughout Jon's work, this feeling of heart."
Favreau's time in the MCU has continued to influence his work on the Star Wars franchise as, after playing Happy Hogan in the Spider-Man movies, the filmmaker enlisted director Jon Watts to take charge of Skeleton Crew.
The Mandalorian is set to return to Disney+ for its third season on March 1.