The Mandalorian team really really really didn’t want Luke Skywalker’s cameo to leak.
The Mandalorian producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni sit down with Peyton Reed and top artists from Industrial Light and Magic to discuss the buzziest moment of December 2020: The return of that Jedi.
In the final moments of The Mandalorian season 2’s finale, an original-trilogy-aged Luke Skywalker reveals himself under a cloak and takes young Grogu away for proper Force training. The ILM crew brought back Luke through a combination of Deep Fake technology and de-ageing effects. Mark Hamill performed the part. It was also kept a secret.
The visual effects supervisor for Luke Skywalker, Richard Bluff, admits that “Luke Skywalker” was never something they were allowed to say.” “Even now, when we talk over what we did, it’s the code names that we refer to.”
The 40-minute special is primarily about how the Mandalorian team pulls off their lofty stunt. Favreau takes a break from his lecture on Deep Fake and gives a brief explanation of Deep Fake. But there’s also a section that focuses on keeping Luke appearance a secret. This speaks volumes to Lucasfilm’s approach to spoiler prevention. The goal of bringing Young Luke back to life was not the only one. No fan could smell the plan to make the film as impactful as the filmmakers hoped.
Favreau speaks in a downtrodden tone, saying that everyone knew Rosario [Dawson] would be Ahsoka and that Temuera was Boba.” “Leaks spring, and you just want the ship to return to the harbour.”
Seal Team 6 operations are simpler than inserting Luke Skywalker in an episode of Mandalorian. Favreau, Reed and Reed drove to Hamill’s Los Angeles home to hand over the script and show him the Grogu doll as a little chemistry test. After Hamill’s approval, a few Mandalorian artists and crew members learned about the development process. This involved creating fake assets and assembling assets for the digital Doppelganger. Filoni claims that his love for Jedi Plo Koon, a prequel-era character, made him the obvious choice to stand in for all development materials. Plo Koon’s name was actually used in the scripts for the finale. Several visual effects elements and concept art were also created for confusion. This is a complete fake!
Hamill says that “all it takes is one person to treat the film in colour correction, one person who goes onto social media and says, ‘guess what? I saw today.'”
Lucasfilm secured every inch of its set to prevent leaks. A small crew shot Hamill’s scenes. The main unit was on location shooting Robert Rodriguez’s Boba Fett episode. ILM locked Landis Fields, an artist, in a room for thousands of images and 4K Star Wars footage. They also used old interviews to create the Deep Fake. Even after final versions of the character had been filed and the episode locked, anxiety continued to bubble at Lucasfilm. Bluff said that “everyday before the episode aired, people would Google The Mandalorian to verify for leaks.”
Disney Gallery allows Favreau to reflect on all aspects of production. The showrunner is visibly concerned about the leaks, but he seems terrified about what Deep Fake tech might bring. Favreau compared Lucasfilm’s Mandalorian success to Mickey’s in Fantasia’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment. Yes, they conjured magical powers, but it’s easy to see how things could go horribly wrong. Favreau has big ideas about blockchain verification for video images, and, wow, yeah, it’s as galaxy-brained as creating an entire Plo Koon cut of The Mandalorian. Hardcore.
The Disney Gallery episode does not clarify that The Mandalorian‘s future is uncertain. The miniseries The Book of Boba Fett will replace the show in its place. The show won’t return for a third series in 2021. The Mandalorian might not return for a third season in 2021. The finale is Favreau’s end of a “two-season arc” about Grog. With other shows such as Obi-Wan and Andor and Mando spinoffs Rangers of the New Republic, Ahsoka, and Mando, the OG Disney Plus Star Wars series seems less important to the company’s strategy. Although The Mandalorian is expected to return in 2022, Lucasfilm loves to keep things secret and give away surprises.
