Carl Weathers & Werner Herzog Join The Mandalorian Cast
Apollo Creed himself is heading to space. Deadline reports that Carl Weathers, the iconic Rocky actor (to say nothing of his work in Predator and Action Jackson) has joined the cast of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, alongside legendary documentarian (and occasional ace actor) Werner Herzog. The cast list also includes the great Breaking Bad heavy Giancarlo Esposito, Supernatural‘s Emily Swallow, and American Gods‘ Omid Abtahi. They join Affliction‘s Nick Nolte, Deadpool‘s Gina Carano and Narcos and Game of Thrones’ standout Pedro Pascal in the title role for the Disney + series. Only Pascal’s titular role is known at this point, as Disney is keeping a fairly tight lid on things, per their usual M.O.
Production is currently underway for the series, which was written and executive produced by Favreau, and includes a talented list of directors taking on their own episodes. These include Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), and Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones). The Mandalorian follows a warrior from the titular planet of Mandalore, described as a “lone gunfighter” by Favreau:
“We’re having a great time working with this incredibly talented group and excited for everyone to see what we’re up to,” Favreau said in the cast announcement posted on StarWars.com.
The cast is certainly shaping up. Weathers and Herzog have gravitas to spare—the latter also has his wonderfully German-accented English that can sound either deeply philosophical or menacing, depending on his role. Esposito proved himself to be a deliciously intelligent kind of heavy in Breaking Bad, all the more terrifying for how calm he was. Also keep in mind that, this being a Star Wars series, any member of the cast could be rendered unrecognizable if they’re playing an alien. One can only dream of a scenario in which Herzog’s voice is paired with some kind of bizarre, multi-headed creature from the outer rim.
The Mandalorian will air exclusively on Disney+, The Walt Disney Company’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service. It will launch in late 2019.
Featured image: An image from the set of ‘The Mandalorian.’ Courtesy Walt Disney Studios.
