Although “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was directed by Jon Favreau, co-creator and producer of the original “The Mandalorian” TV series, director George Lucas, the legendary creator of the Star Wars franchise, was nonetheless involved in a very specific way in the development of the Disney film.
In the United States, viewers can currently listen to director Favreau’s commentary for “The Mandalorian and Grogu” while watching the film in theaters via the TheatersEars app: In the audio, the director reveals many fascinating details about the film and, among other things, recounts how he found himself at Skywalker Ranch, in the parking lot, filming a model of the Razor Crest when he learned that the original model of the Red Jammer Y-wing starfighter was being prepared for display at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Jon Favreau then obtained permission from George Lucas himself to use the model in the film (via Laughing Place): the Red Jammer had been created as a reference for “A New Hope,” but the model itself never appeared in the film. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” marks its first appearance in the Star Wars universe. “After lengthy negotiations, George Lucas gave us permission to borrow the model,” visual effects supervisor John Knoll told VFX Voice. “We shot two motion-control sequences. They’re in the film and flash by quickly. Unless someone points them out to you, you won’t see them, but there are two shots of an original 1976 Star Wars model that’s never been seen on screen before.”
The Red Jammer appears in the finale of The Mandalorian and Grogu, in the action sequence with the X-wing on Nal Hutta. It is piloted by director Lee Isaac Chung, as we explained in our guide to the Easter eggs and cameos in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
George Lucas’s American Graffiti was also a source of inspiration for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau revealed, particularly for Mando’s desire to increase the Razor Crest’s speed by removing the speed limiters from his new ship. Favreau also previously revealed that he reached out to J.J. Abrams to propose using the Anzellans again, given that Babu Frik had made his debut in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Additionally, during the audio commentary, Favreau explained how Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order inspired a key sequence in the film.
