The Mandalorian season 2: Release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know

The Mandalorian spoilers follow.

The Mandalorian season two was as inevitable as Darth Vader cosplayers at a Star Wars convention.

When George Lucas himself is a fan, you know you're onto a good thing.

"He's been very complimentary," said executive producer Dave Filoni (via The Hollywood Reporter). "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."

Filoni added: "When I talk with him, I like to get more knowledge.

"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."

For fans who have missed the nostalgic reverence for the original trilogy that was left behind by movies like The Last Jedi, a second series will be as pleasant an arrival as a basket containing Baby Yoda.

Though those fans may be less happy to hear that Rian Johnson wants to direct an episode of the flagship Star Wars show. But more on that in a moment.

Watch The Mandalorian and Star Wars with Disney+

For now, we're shoving on an iconic helmet and taking to the skies to find out exactly what to expect from The Mandalorian season two.

Here's everything you need to know.

The Mandalorian season 2 release date: When will it air?

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The Mandalorian season two will hit Disney+ on Friday, October 30.

And the show's logo has also been given a snazzy makeover as well.

Jon Favreau announced season two's production had already begun back in November 2019, and as of March 2020, filming on season two had wrapped. How do we know? Star Gina Carano recently shared this update on her Instagram account:

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And The Mandalorian season three is already in the works, according to Variety.

"We're living in a universe that is huge," said Giancarlo Esposito at the People's Emmy Awards pre-show. "So I think this show is going to lay the groundwork for the depth and breath that's gonna come in season three and season four, where you're really gonna start to get answers."

Chatting about how the pandemic is impacting things going forward, Favreau said (via The Hollywood Reporter): "The fact that the set is much more contained is a benefit, because you can limit the number of people.

"A lot of the people controlling it are doing it remotely from what we call the Brain Bar, which is a bank of gaming computers, essentially. The amount of people near the camera could be much smaller than [usual].

"We also shoot a lot outside, which is helpful, too."

He added: "We build to a moment in filming more like an animated production, where we have a lot of storyboards, a lot of discussions and scouting in virtual reality. We use cinematic tools in VR much the same way we did for The Lion King and The Jungle Book.

"A lot of times the actors you are seeing on the screen aren't actually there on set."

The Mandalorian season 2 cast: Who's in it?

Pedro Pascal will definitely be back, not that you'll be able to tell (unless he ditches his helmet permanently in a bold second season twist).

He'll most likely be joined by:

• Gina Carano
• Giancarlo Esposito
• Werner Herzog
• Nick Nolte
• And, of course, Baby Yoda.

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Oh, and Carl Weathers will not only appear in season two, he's also directing an episode.

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According to Favreau, Creef Carga was initially supposed to be killed off.

"Carl wasn't supposed to be in the whole show," he said on Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian. "Carl was in episode one and then got knocked off in episode three."

Weathers' character was also originally an alien: "He was gonna be in full prosthetics, as a different alien race, and then we switched it up.

"It was a favour. I said, 'Come in and do this one thing.' He says, 'Fine, I don't really act much more, but fine.' Carl's supposed to come in, he's going to be in 101 and then 103, he gets shot, he's out."

In big news, Temuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett in the prequels and has also voiced Boba Fett in the past, has been cast to play the notorious Boba Fett in the Disney+ show's second season.

And Katee Sackhoff (aka Battlestar Galactica's Starbuck) will reprise her animated Clone Wars character Bo-Katan Kryze.

Sci-fi legend Michael Biehn is heading to The Mandalorian in season two as well. According to Making Star Wars, The Terminator and Aliens star will be a bounty hunter from Mando's past.

It's been a while since Biehn has appeared in a mainstream property like this, so old-school action fans will be particularly excited to see his return on screen.

Biehn will also be joined by another new face, Zombieland: Double Tap's Rosario Dawson. She'll almost certainly appear as Ahsoka Tano, a fan-favourite character who first introduced during the animated series Clone Wars.

There's also Santa Clarita Diet star Timothy Olyphant, who has been cast in a currently unknown role, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Showrunner Jon Favreau will take charge of an episode. "We're working on season two, writing, prepping with the directors and getting ready to direct myself, actually," Favreau told Entertainment Weekly.

"I didn't get a chance the last time around because I was doing Lion King. So I'll step in for one of them."

Again, we're not sure who's stepping out for Favreau, but we hope the big-name directors – such as Taika Waititi and Bryce Dallas Howard – will also come back.

Rian Johnson is also up for being part of the show. "If I had the time, I would get in there in a heartbeat. I had a set visit for season one and it looked amazing. It looked like so much fun!" (via Yahoo)

The Mandalorian season 2 plot: What will happen?

There were plenty of plot threads left unresolved at the end of season one, including the identity of the 'Client' and especially Baby Yoda's backstory / future.

Remember, we're only calling him (her?) Baby Yoda because we have no other frame of reference – Yoda's species is unnamed in the original canon, so we really know almost nothing about the child's identity.

Just how powerful is the child? Who are its parents? (Hopefully not a Palpatine somehow!) And what is its destiny? We expect all of these mysteries to at least be touched upon as the series' main narrative unfolds further in season two and three.

And, of course, there's the Mandalorians themselves – there's a rich history to explore there, especially now that we know that Boba Fett will feature.

Plus, expect more of that mysterious black lightsaber brandished by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in the finale.

Chatting to Deadline, Esposito said: "You'll see more of the darksaber, you'll get the explanation of this ancient weapon to the modern world, a collapsed world.

"Where did this saber come from and how was it revived? It's a key in our second season, which will be back sooner than later."

He added: "[The saber] is a key to Moff Gideon's past, which possibly has a lot to do with where he comes from and his desire to build a planet and bring it back together."

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Esposito elaborated further on that in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

"It also creates the possibility that he is one of the ones," he added.

"He possibly has that, and that to me is interesting because is he really that fallen hero? Is he a descendant of Darth Vader? Who is he? What does he want? He knows all about everything, and you'll have to wait to find out."

The Mandalorian season 2 trailer: When will it land?

It's here!

Watch the official trailer for The Mandalorian season two below.

Bookmark this page for all the latest The Mandalorian season two news, scoops and exclusives.

The Mandalorian spinoffs: What's cooking?

Nothing has been confirmed, but there have been hints that a spinoff (possibly more than one) is on the cards.

"The priority in the next few years is television with The Mandalorian season two coming in October, and then more coming from The Mandalorian thereafter, including the possibility of infusing it with more characters and the possibility of taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series," said Disney CEO Bob Iger at a conference call (via Collider).

But who will "those characters" be?

Place your bets, people.

The Mandalorian is available to watch on Disney+.

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Sam Ashurst

Freelancer writer

Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist. 

Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets. 

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