Jon Favreau Shows Off New The Mandalorian Set Photo

A new photo from the set of The Mandalorian was posted by series showrunner Jon Favreau on his Instagram account, but the folks over at Making Star Wars have delved deeper into the story to analyze the weapon in said photo. According to the site, the gun just might be the same one used by Boba Fett in the much maligned Star Wars Holiday Special.

Fans will recall that the special featured an animated segment of Boba Fett in action. And, sure enough, a quick look at photos from the segment reveal the famed bounty hunter wielding a gun similar in design to the one seen in the photo. Apparently, the gun is an Amban phase-pulse blaster, a name revealed in the video game The Force Unleashed. What this all means in the grand scheme of things remains unclear. Though, admittedly, it’s a pretty nice Easter egg for Star Wars fans and shows that Favreau has done his homework.

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

The directors for the series were officially announced and include Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) who will direct the first episode. Additional episodes will be directed by  Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Bryce Dallas Howard (Solemates), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok). The Mandalorian will be executive produced by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist will serve as co-executive producer.

The 10-episode first season will reportedly have a combined budget of $100 million, making each episode worth $10 million. It has also been announced that Disney is currently developing multiple limited series featuring characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe for their upcoming streaming service.

The Mandalorian does not yet have a release date but the Disney direct-to-consumer platform will launch in late 2019.

Here’s a photo of the gun in the Holiday special: