Rick Famuyiwa Discusses His Career Progression on ‘The Mandalorian’, Offers Thoughts on the Potential for a Feature Film
Interviews for The Mandalorian continue to trickle in after the premier of season 3 offering some unique insight into the behind-the-scenes process. Rick Famuyiwa sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and discussed how his involvement early on in the creation of The Mandalorian led to the more central role he has today as executive producer and director of six episodes, as well as offers his thoughts on whether Din and Grogu will ever make it to the big screen.
After the success of Famuyiwa’s coming-of-age dramedy, Dope, led to a call from Favreau, Famuyiwa quickly became enmeshed in the creative process for the creation of the show. Unlike many of the other directors who have worked on The Mandalorian, Famuyiwa earned writing credits on both season 1 and 2 for episode 6 The Prisoner, and episode 7, The Believer, respectively. While it may seem like a strange jump from Netflix’s Dope to Star Wars, Famuyiwa’s careful portrayal of the misadventures and companionship of a group of smart and quirky teenage outcasts in Dope is endearing, playful, and heart wrenching all at once. This careful balance is omnipresent in the Star Wars universe, particularly in The Mandalorian, where audiences watch Din struggle with his faith and identity in one scene and watch Grogu slyly steal space M&Ms in the next.
Asked about his journey in the Star Wars universe, Famuyiwa shed some light on the growth of his involvement from season 1 to present:
“I came in so early in the process of season one, and I was also a part of writing season one and season two. I had the opportunity to work with Jon and Dave as they were conceiving each of those seasons from a very early point, and since I was writing, I had to figure out how my writing was going to fit in with what they were doing and the overall arc. So I wouldn’t necessarily call it a writers’ room, but because we were the only three writing and I was coming in with a handful of episodes, I certainly had to be a part of what the larger storytelling was and how it was coming together. So I had comments, and I certainly had a part in helping to shape some of that, particularly as it moved towards my episodes and beyond.”
“So when we got into season three coming together, Jon reached out to me with the understanding that I’ve been there from the beginning and we’ve developed a certain trust, creatively. Dave was also going to be very busy launching the Ahsoka series, so it was important to have a continuity of people who were there from the beginning as we were going into this season, which was expanding and bringing a lot of ideas to culmination. So it was unique in that I had a very specific view from the very beginning to the very end. I had a broader look into it before, and while it still felt very much of a similar process, there was just a lot more of it.”
I can see how Famuyiwa’s intimate knowledge of and participation in the creation of the narratives starting even before season 1 aired would be invaluable to Favreau and Lucasfilm during the production of season 3. While Favreau is firmly at the helm, equally as important for season 3 is a director with the confidence to execute the narrative culmination. I know some fans have voiced concerns over the scatteredness of the season 3 premier, but I firmly believe that groundwork will lead to big payoffs. Famuyiwa’s experience with the narrative conception and deep understanding of where the story is going only serves to increase the creative nuance in the show.
Finally, asked about whether Din and Grogu would ever appear in a feature film, Famuyiwa responded:
“I don’t know what the big plan of everything is, and obviously, there’s so much storytelling happening now in Star Wars. There are series, and a lot has happened in the films. So what that all means in terms of how we create things and for what medium has all started to blur. So I wouldn’t be surprised, but I certainly don’t have any inside knowledge about anything that’s happening in that regard. But there’s a large storytelling community within Star Wars that is very active on the series side and continues to be active when it comes to what may be happening with the films moving forward.”
Nothing new here, but it’s good to know it’s still within the realm of possibility. I’m pretty sure Famuyiwa knows more about the feature film side of Lucasfilm than he’s letting on, especially since he seems to imply that the series side may intersect with the film side at some point. The success of The Mandalorian has already led to multiple spinoffs, does it have the momentum to springboard a feature film, too? Time will tell. In the meantime, we certainly haven’t seen the last of Rick Famuyiwa.
For more Star Wars movie news, check out the latest update on the Lucasfilm movie slate shakeup.
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.
