While Lucasfilm and Star Wars are bringing back a number of key players for Season 3 of The Mandalorian, one major creative from the first two seasons won't be involved this time around.
Only a few weeks remain until Star Wars' flagship Disney+ show returns for its first new episodes in more than two years, catching up on Din Djarin's intergalactic travels after his short appearance in 2022's The Book of Boba Fett. Season 3 will bring the band back together for the streaming series, with nearly a dozen stars either confirmed or rumored for roles in Mando's latest solo adventure.
This will also apply behind the scenes for the new season, with multiple directors coming back for new episodes after leaving their mark on The Mandalorian in both 2019 and 2020.
But now, that trend will buck slightly with an indication that one major part of Mando's first two seasons won't be brought back for this new upcoming story.
Mandalorian Season 3 Using New Composer
Film Music Reporter revealed that Joseph Shirley wrote the score for Season 3 of Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian after previously working on additional music from the first two seasons.
This indicates that Oscar-winner Ludwig Göransson won't be coming back as the main composer for Season 3 after doing work on Seasons 1 and 2, although it's been confirmed that his previously-released themes will be used within Shirley's work. This will play out identically to The Book of Boba Fett, where Shirley was the composer and used Göransson's themes from The Mandalorian.
Ludwig Göransson Stepping Back From Star Wars?
Ludwig Göransson's work made him one of the top names in the composing world in recent years, winning an Academy Award for his work on Black Panther before being nominated for the same honor on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His work on The Mandalorian received similar acclaim at the Emmy Awards, although his work will certainly be missed when Season 3 begins airing.
Thankfully, he won't be completely absent from the series, as show composer Joseph Shirley is continuing to use the themes that Göransson developed for Din Djarin, Grogu, and the rest of the squad over the past few years. He should be able to move seamlessly from his work on The Book of Boba Fett into this new season, especially after working so closely with Göransson on new Mando music for his appearance alongside the Boba Fett crew.
And while it's unclear whether Göransson will be back for more music in the galaxy far, far away anytime soon, it's clear that his influence won't be left behind as the series continues to evolve on Disney+.
The first episode of The Mandalorian Season 3 will begin streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday, March 1.
