Taika Waititi to Voice Bounty Hunter IG-88 in The Mandalorian!

All this time, IG-88 was a Kiwi. Back in December executive producer and writer Jon Favreau revealed that the The Empire Strikes Back‘s robot bounty hunter IG-88 would have a role to play in the upcoming Disney+ live-action series The Mandalorian. Now he’s revealed via Instagram that IG-88 will be voiced by none other than Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows), one of the show’s directors who previously lent that unique New Zealander accent to the character Korg in his own film Thor: Ragnarok. Check out the full photo of Waititi in the recording studio in the gallery below!

Waititi will next be seen portraying Adolf Hitler in the WWII dramedy Jojo Rabbit, which he also wrote and directed. We’re also hoping for a return of Korg in Avengers: Endgame, but that remains to be seen. As for IG-88, it is rumored that several others from that infamous 1980 Empire lineup will be making appearances on the show. You can see them below, including Dengar, Bossk, 4-LOM and Zuckuss, alongside the original Boba Fett.

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.

Pedro Pascal (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) will star as a lone Mandalorian gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy and will be joined by the previously announced Gina Carano (Deadpool), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Emily Swallow (Supernatural), Carl Weathers (Predator), Omid Abtahi (American Gods), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) and Nick Nolte (Affliction).

Jon Favreau penned the series, and the directors for the show that have been officially announced include Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) who will be directing 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 live-action series will debut exclusively on Disney+.

What do you think of Taika Waititi voicing IG-88 in The Mandalorian? What is your favorite Bounty Hunter from Empire? Do you hope he also comes back as Korg in Avengers: Endgame? Let us know in the comments below!