Disney Just Made A Huge Announcement About This Mandalorian Moment
Season 2 of The Mandalorian was an Easter egg-filled extravaganza, and as a result, it had "Star Wars" fans jumping with excitement. From the return of Boba Fett and the setup of his own upcoming spin-off show to introducing live-action versions of "Clone Wars" fan favorites Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and the Emmy-nominated Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), the second season of "The Mandalorian" somehow cleared the high bar set by its already impressive first season. But if you ask many fans about the most significant surprise moment the second season had to offer, they'll probably mention the appearance of a certain cloaked Jedi that visits Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu during the finale.
In "Chapter 16, The Rescue," Mando and his allies are pitted against Dark Troopers, and all hope looks lost until a young Luke Skywalker — green lightsaber and all — makes an appearance, comes to the rescue, and takes Grogu off for some special Jedi training. It was easily the series' biggest moment thus far, and fans went into a frenzy at the reveal. Skywalker's youthful return was also thanks to some unique technology and heavy collaboration with Mark Hamill. The results were as controversial as they were stunning, and every fan has opinion about how the finished product turned out. Fortunately, we're set to learn more about the technology that went into the brief, exciting cameo thanks to an upcoming Disney+ special centered around the special moment.
Disney will reveal more about Luke's Mandalorian return this August
"The Mandalorian" fans may have already tuned into the documentary series "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian," which offers a behind-the-scenes look at individual episodes of "The Mandalorian," and provides crucial information about how each individual story — and the series as a whole — came to life thanks to efforts from some of the most specialized creatives and special effects gurus in the business. Now that Season 2's already run its course, most fans assumed that "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian" was similarly shelved, though likely to return as a pleasant accompaniment to Season 3, whenever that comes to pass. Those same fans will be surprised — and likely elated — to learn that the House of Mouse is bring back its popular behind-the-scenes docuseries well ahead of schedule, with a fresh episode set to hit Disney+ in August.
According to the official Star Wars site, Disney+ will premiere a special episode on August 25, 2021 that focuses on the return of Luke Skywalker on the "The Mandalorian" Season 2 finale. This episode will reveal more about the type of technology used to resurrect Luke in his classic "Episode VI: Return of The Jedi" look, as well as examine the collaborative process with Mark Hamill that proved essential to making Luke's appearance as realistic as possible.
If you were one of the many "Star Wars" fans who got a little teary-eyed at the sight of the eponymous returning Jedi (especially considering his ... transformation in the sequel series), this new episode of "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian" is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the creative work to bring prime Luke back to the screen, essentially turning back time on the now-69-year-old Hamill. Besides searching the credits to find actor Max Lloyd-Jones, who was responsible for the bodywork of young Luke, many of the technical and collaborative aspects that went into the iconic Jedi's return haven't been revealed. We don't even really know just how much involvement Hamill had in the process. Hopefully, this episode answers every question fans have been harboring about this poignant "Star Wars" moment.
Some fans wanted to see Luke Skywalker played by a new actor
Although the moment of Luke's triumphant return garnered mostly praise from "The Mandalorian" viewers, some fans would have preferred that Disney recast the role instead of using the various de-aging effects that are likely to be the subject of this special episode of "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian." The fans online even had a consensus candidate to fill young Skywalker's Jedi boots, and it's an actor who will be familiar to MCU followers: Sebastian Stan. There's likely quite a bit of crossover between MCU fans and "Star Wars" fans, so that popularity may have played a part in Stan's name repeatedly cropping up, but you have to admit — the likeness is uncanny.
Twitter user @djesson81 summed up the most emphatic faction of the fandom's thoughts after "The Mandalorian" Season 2 finale aired, tweeting: "Jesus Christ, just use Sebastian Stan for Luke rather than this janky PS3 cut seen [sic] looking version we got! Tarkin, Leia, and now this. It doesn't work. Stop it!!"
It'll be interesting to see if Disney or anyone involved with "The Mandalorian" addresses the Winter Soldier in the room in the new special. It doesn't sound like Favreau and company ever really considered recasting the role for such a brief cameo, but we're sure to find out more on August 25.