The Deadwood Reunion You Missed In The Mandalorian Chapter 9
As the world plunges headlong into a pandemic-plagued winter that may prove a bit more frosty than most, Disney+ has just provided a legitimate ray of sunshine with the long-anticipated return of The Mandalorian. Created by Marvel alum Jon Favreau and set within the ever-expanding Star Wars cinematic universe, The Mandalorian was touted as the hot property on Disney+ when the platform launched last November. Not only did the series draw waves of subscribers, it satisfied both franchise faithful and newcomers in virtually every way, and even earned a whopping 15 Emmy nominations (notching 7 wins).
So strong was the critical and audience reaction, season 2 of The Mandalorian was confirmed to be greenlit just days after it premiered. And to the surprise of many, Favreau and co. somehow managed to wrap production ahead of COVID-19 shutdowns. To the delight of fans the world over, The Mandalorian is back, and while series regulars like Mando (Pedro Pascal), The Child, Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), and the dreaded Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) are set to feature prominently in the new season, a few more familiar faces joined the fray for The Mandalorian's season 2 premiere.
Entitled "The Marshal," said premiere finds Mando heading into the Outer Rim in search of The Child's people. They first make a stop on Tatooine, and seek answers in an isolated mining town. There, Mando teams up with the local law man played by Timothy Olyphant, who fans no doubt recognize from his work as a marshal on both FX's Justified and HBO's Deadwood.
Fans who stuck around for the credits likely noticed another Deadwood alum listed among the episode's cast as well, with W. Earl Brown turning up in heavy make-up as the Weequay bartender.
W. Earl Brown and Timothy Olyphant had some Deadwood-style kicks on the set of The Mandalorian
For those who missed out on Deadwood, the historical drama featured Timothy Olyphant portraying famous Dakota Territories lawman Seth Bullock, the U.S. Marshal tasked with bringing order to the lawless Deadwood settlement. One of his most frequent foes (and occasional allies) was notorious brothel owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), and while McShane's work towered over the entire series, W. Earl Brown stole his share of scenes as the foul-mouthed barkeep Dan Dority.
As such, Brown frequently shared the screen with Olyphant. While the pair kept it clean in their brief The Mandalorian reunion, they reportedly treated the crew to some vintage Deadwood speak between takes. Brown admitted as much in an October 30, 2020 Tweet storm detailing his entire experience on the series, claiming he almost passed on The Mandalorian due to the extensive prosthetics work required. He relented for the sake of joining the Star Wars universe though, and was clearly happy to be sharing the screen with his old Deadwood pal Olyphant.
Per Brown's Tweets, it didn't take long for the pair to fall back into their old habit of trading obscene one-liners, teasing that their vulgar back-and-forth earned, "a few giggles from the HBO watchers" on The Mandalorian crew. He goes on to offer Favreau himself was among them, adding that The Mandalorain showrunner laughingly quipped he wasn't looking for a Deadwood vibe when he cast Brown and Olyphant in the episode, but appreciated their "DEADWOOD In Space" routine nonetheless.
Unfortunately, Favreau couldn't find a place for the vile "C" word made infamous by its rampant use on Deadwood in his The Mandalorian script. Still, it's nice to know Brown and Olyphant found time to bring some Deadwood flavor to the galaxy far, far away.