Actor/director Taika Waititi will reportedly star in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, having been absent from the Star Wars series since its first season.
A new report suggests that Taika Waititi will return to The Mandalorian in the Disney+ show’s upcoming third season.
According to Slash Film, Waititi will star in an unspecified role in Season 3 of the Emmy-winning series. The filmmaker and actor from New Zealand previously appeared in Season 1 of The Mandalorian, voicing the bounty hunter droid IG-11 in three episodes.
Waititi also directed The Mandalorian Season 1 finale, “Chapter 8: Redemption.” In this episode, the Waititi-voiced IG-11 sacrificed himself so that Din Djarin and Grogu could escape the agents of the Empire. With a perfect rating of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, aggregated from 29 critics reviews, the Critics Consensus for this episode says, “The Mandalorian concludes with whiz-bang action and a heartening dose of ‘Redemption’ while teasing tantalizing new adventures to come.”
The Mandalorian is not the only corner of the Star Wars universe that Waititi is exploring. He is slated to direct an untitled feature-length film set in the galaxy far, far away, currently lined up for a late 2023 release date. In addition to directing, the Oscar-winning screenwriter will pen the script alongside co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Story details are under wraps, but Waititi has stated that he intends to use this film to push Star Wars in a new direction, “to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world.” This project will be the first Star Wars film with a theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker divided critics and audiences as the finale to the Skywalker Saga in December 2019.
Waititi has recently found success in working under the creative umbrella of Disney. His Marvel Cinematic Universe directorial debut Thor: Ragnarok in 2017 grossed $854 million at the worldwide box office. With widespread critical acclaim and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 percent based on 439 critics reviews, this film introduced fans to the character of Korg, for which Waititi performed motion-capture and voice work.
The filmmaker is returning to the MCU to direct and star in Ragnarok‘s follow-up, Thor: Love and Thunder, which will hit theaters on July 8, 2022. Along with his contributions to Marvel Studios, Waititi collaborated with Pixar in a voice talent role in the 2022 animated movie Lightyear. He also recently signed on to direct the film Tower of Terror, an adaptation of the Disney Parks theme ride.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is set to premiere on Disney+ in February 2023.
Source: Slash Film
