Jon Favreau on The Mandalorian and Grogu’s Reunion in ‘The Book of Boba Fett’
The reunification of Din and Grogu in The Book of Boba Fett was met with cheers from fans, albeit some were surprised by how quickly the characters came back together. Moreover, for those viewers who enjoy The Mandalorian but didn’t tune in for The Book of Boba Fett there is likely to be some confusion about Din and Grogu appearing together in trailers for season 3. Fans on both ends of the spectrum have had to square the hard-fought journey in seasons 1 and 2 to deliver Grogu to a Jedi, ending in an emotional goodbye and a gripping Luke Skywalker cameo with the (literally) speedy reunion in Mos Espa in The Book of Boba Fett.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Favreau addressed the reunification of Din and Grogu and what it meant for season 3 of The Mandalorian, saying:
“We couldn’t just hit a hard reset. It’s going to be interesting to see how this unfolds for people who may not have seen The Book Of Boba Fett. But I think The Book Of Boba Fett offered time to pass. You saw what Mando was like without Baby Yoda and we saw what Grogu was like without the Mandalorian and neither of them was doing too good. So them coming back together was a really good plot point that allows us to jump back into Season 3 while maintaining the central relationship.”
Speaking about balancing Grogu’s time with Luke against the goal to reunite him with Din, Favreau said:
“I think you had to service both things. Just because this kid has the potential and had training, does he belong away from the Mandalorian? I saw it more like Paper Moon, where the whole thing is about delivering the kid to the blood relative, only to realize that, whether genetically through her father or just through bonding, Tatum O’Neal has to end up with Ryan O’Neal. That ending feels really good to me. And this little kid [Grogu] is given a decision to choose. And the kid chooses the emotional relationship and wants to be with the Mandalorian, and passing up Yoda’s lightsaber. Part of you wants to see him develop in that way, and part the other.”
For fans who have never heard of Paper Moon, it is a 1973 film that takes place during the Great Depression and is about a con man who agrees to take a recently orphaned girl to her family in Missouri, only for them to develop a strong father-daughter bond along the way.
It’s clear that Favreau understands the desire both to have Din and Grogu remain together, and to see Grogu expand his abilities with the Force.
“You have this interesting character who has Jedi training to some extent, Force abilities, but also is joining the Mandalorian culture, which we’ve established is something that you can opt into. It demands a lot, it offers a lot. Historically, Mandalorians developed all of those tools and armor and weapons to be able to counteract the Force abilities of Jedi. So as a storyteller this offers tremendous opportunity.”
Based on the trailer, we’re able to see that Grogu’s Force abilities are getting stronger. Will Din find a way to continue to foster Grogu’s abilities? Will Grogu meet more Jedi along the way?
Read the full original article here and watch this space for more news as we race to The Mandalorian season 3 premiere on March 1st.
When she isn't watching her friends and family's eyes glaze over at the mention of The Clone Wars, she's at the park with her dog, Melvin, or on the couch with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. Physically, she lives in Ohio; spiritually, she lives in Naboo.
