The Mandalorian S03: Bryce Dallas Howard Directing; Filoni on Ahsoka

With Dave Filoni & Jon Favreau dropping some serious intel on the third season of Disney+ & Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian during the “Lucasfilm’s Studio Showcase” at Star Wars Celebration on Thursday and the duo set to headline the “Mando+: A Conversation with Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni” on Saturday, we were expecting things to be quiet on Friday. Well, not quite because The Hollywood Reporter has some directing updates on not just the Pedro Pascal-starring series but also on the Rosario Dawson-starring Ahsoka. First up, Bryce Dallas Howard will be following up her directing efforts in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian (along with the Mando-focused episode of The Book of Boba Fett, “Return of the Mandalorian”) by directing an episode in the upcoming season. In addition, Filoni is set to direct a “handful” of episodes of Ahsoka (with Peter Ramsey also expected to direct an episode, possibly more). The news comes on the heels of yesterday’s reveal that Season 3 will premiere in February 2023, with Katee Sackhoff returning (and editing underway).

Speaking og Ahsoka, here’s a look back at the tweet that was sent out earlier this month marking the start of filming:

Hayden Christensen is reportedly returning as Anakin Skywalker (also in Obi-Wan Kenobi) to appear with Dawson and a cast that includes Natasha Liu Bordizzo (The Society, Day Shift) as Sabine Wren, Ray Stevenson (Vikings) set for the role of a villainous admiral (reportedly), and Ivanna Sakhno (Pacific Rim: Uprising) & Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) in undisclosed roles. In November 2021, writer & co-EP Dave Filoni (along with EP Jon Favreau) offered a mid-writing update to Empire Magazine– and it sounded like he was having a pretty good time of things (to say the least).

“It’s thrilling, I gotta tell you,” Filoni explained about how he feels about the scripting process. “It’s something you imagine doing for a long time. And then it’s kind of startling when you’re sitting there, and now you have to do it.” The series will allow Filoni to not just expand upon the character but also take Ahsoka in bold new directions, too. “I thought of this adventure for Ahsoka for a long time, and it’s interesting to see how it’s evolved. Years ago, I never would have imagined that it was sprung from a branch of a tree that had anything to do with a guy [like] Din Djarin, or a child that looks like Yoda. It’s a great lesson for me on how, when you have other creatives like Jon Favreau, they can help lend such dimension and depth to what you’re doing.” Filming on the series is expected to begin this April in Los Angeles.