Disney
Just last week, we brought you a report that indicated acclaimed auteurs such as James Mangold and Robert Rodriguez would be joining the likes of Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jon Favreau, and Taika Waititi as The Mandalorian directors for season two.
According to the report from Screenrant, not only are Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and Rick Famuyiwa all set to direct an episode but both Mangold and Rodriguez reportedly “contributed their directing skills to season 2.”
That report seemed to pick up even more steam after Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard shared an article from IGN indicating that his daughter, Bryce Dallas, would be contributing directorial work to season 2 along with Mangold and Rodriguez. However, it was at this point that Mangold himself joined the conversation and denied any involvement with the project, unfortunately.
Hey Ron. I'm so pleased if it's true about Bryce directing another part of Mandalorian, but I can tell you its not true about me. Not doing it, never discussed it. And I suggest fans should look at who's "reporting" this & make a note that these sites present conjecture as fact.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 29, 2020
Replying to Howard’s tweet about The Mandalorian, Mangold confirmed that he has no part in the upcoming season:
“Hey Ron. I’m so pleased if it’s true about Bryce directing another part of Mandalorian, but I can tell you its not true about me. Not doing it, never discussed it. And I suggest fans should look at who’s ‘reporting’ this & make a note that these sites present conjecture as fact,” Mangold said.
Howard was immediately apologetic, saying that he saw his daughter’s name and blindly tweeted the article without reading the rest of it. Mangold was obviously understanding, saying that he knew that Howard was just being a “proud poppa.”
At this point, Academy Award-winner and The Mandalorian season one director Taika Waititi chimed in, urging Mangold to tell the truth about his “Mangoldorian Christmas Special.”
Don't lie, James. Be proud of your Mangoldorian Christmas Special.
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) February 29, 2020
Just because Mangold isn’t directing The Mandalorian does not mean he’s resting on his recent Academy Award-nominated laurels (Ford v. Ferrari was nominated for Best Picture), as there are reports he’s in talks to take over directing Indiana Jones 5.
The highly-anticipated second season of The Mandalorian is set to his Disney+ in October. All eight episodes of the first season are currently streaming.
RELATED: ‘The Mandalorian’ Star Promises Epic Lightsaber Battles In Season Two
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com