Mandalorian Season 2 leaks tease the shocking return of a dead fan-favorite
No, it's not Boba Fett.
Taika Waititi had an amazing 2019. Riding the success of his Marvel debut, directing (and acting in) Thor: Ragnarok, he wrote, directed, and acted in Jojo Rabbit, winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also directed the finale of The Mandalorian Season 1, and voiced the deadly bounty hunter droid IG-11. Waititi is back in the MCU working on Thor: Love and Thunder, a new leak suggests he may return to The Mandalorian set in some capacity.
An unconfirmed "leak" from Murphy's Multiverse claims Waititi will return for Season 2 of the smash-hit Disney+ series, but did not specify whether he'd be acting or directing. The former may seem impossible, as IG-11 was killed by Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian in the Season 1 finale, but in Star Wars, famously, "no one's ever really gone."
IG-11 could return as a villain, or perhaps another IG droid will appear with Waititi's same voice, meaning the director could make another cameo. Some interesting theories about the trigger-happy droid's potential return could link back to the old Extended Universe Shadows of the Empire storyline. Droids die or get wrecked all the time in Star Wars. It doesn't need to be the end of Waititi's character.
Waititi on the Oscars red carpet.
That's not the only intriguing morsel to emerge from this leak. Murphy also claims Marvel veteran Peyton Reed has also signed on to direct two episodes, the same number as Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, and Rick Famuyiwa in Season 1. Reed directed both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. He also helmed some comedies like Bring it On, Yes Man, and The Break-Up, which featured Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau among the cast.
IG-11 in action
This leak, if it proves to be true, means the behind the scenes worlds of Marvel and Star Wars are converging. This could be great news for both fandoms, as each franchise tends to have strengths its counterparts lack. Judging from their success with Thor and Ant-Man, Waititi and Reed know how to give a standalone property its own distinct feel, while tying it into a much larger and more complicated story. That's something Lucasfilm didn't quite pull of with The Rise of Skywalker, but there's still a lot of future ahead for Disney's Star Wars saga.
Either way, if Waititi continues to be involved with The Mandalorian going forward, expect lots of wit, humor, and general weirdness. But when will he find time to do that What We Do in the Shadows sequel?
The Mandalorian Season 2 premieres on Disney+ October 2020.
