The great success of Star Wars' debut live-action series, The Mandalorian, has certainly proven the potential of the high-budget episodic model to Disney. Ever since the series shot to viral popularity through memes and critical acclaim, the House of Mouse has continued to grow its commitment to the service with an expansive slate of spin-offs and other stories across the timeline.
Fans of the Pedro Pascal-led series were left on a draw-dropping Season 2 finale back in December 2020 as Grogu set off into the galaxy with Luke Skywalker and Din Djarin wielding the iconic Darksaber, seemingly handing him the throne of Mandalore.
Despite many months having passed since the last episode hit the service, production on the third season doesn't seem to be moving any closer. Lucasfilm is currently preparing multiple spin-off series for Disney+ including The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Rangers of the New Republic — which appears to have halted work.
After months of waiting for an update on the long-awaited third season, a report seems to have suggested the Ewan McGregor-led Obi-Wan Kenobi project may be impacting plans to start rolling.
OBI-WAN KENOBI TAKES THE HIGH GROUND
According to a recent report from Collider, the highly-anticipated third season of The Mandalorian is not looking to begin production anytime soon due to both the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and lead actor Pedro Pascal's busy schedule.
While Disney and Lucasfilm conduct their productions all around the world, a large part of filming is completed on Hollywood stages. As of now, these stages are currently in use for Ewan McGregor's long-awaited Star Wars return and will be for many months to come.
Based on Collider's sources, the plans appear to be for The Mandalorian's third season to start filming toward the end of this year or in the early months of 2022. Given the beginning of production still seems to be quite far down the line, the series isn't set to hit Disney+ until late 2022.
On top of the pre-occupied production stages, Lucasfilm is also currently struggling with a busy lead actor in Pedro Pascal who is slated to start filming the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us this July. Upon joining the video game adaptation, Pascal signed a first position agreement with the studio, meaning he must prioritize the series over any other commitments.
MANDALORIAN SEASON 3 COULD BE FAR AWAY
Given the likelihood that the Jon Favreau production won't be going in front of the camera until the end of this year at the earliest, it's possible the Disney+ series might not make its intended 2022 debut.
A lack of studio stage space is bound to become a significant issue of Disney's going forward across both the Star Wars and Marvel universes. With an expansive slate of films and series in development for the House of Mouse's two biggest franchises, a substantial amount of space will be needed to keep everything filming at once.
Between this issue and Pedro Pascal's busy schedule, fans should prepare themselves for the break between seasons of The Mandalorian to grow significantly. The fact Din Djarin dons his iconic Beskar helmet in the majority of his screen time will prove beneficial for the production going forward as the cameras can start rolling without its star.
However, with a slough of production issues involved, it wouldn't be surprising if Disney looks to end its premiere Star Wars live-actions series in the near future. As the list of The Mandalorian spin-off series continues to grow, the post-Return of the Jedi story could easily be continued in other projects with the potential for Din Djarin and Grogu to make the occasional appearance.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is yet to set an official release date, however, the story will continue in The Book of Boba Fett which will hit Disney+ this December.
