The Mandalorian & Grogu director Jon Favreau reveals how he convinced legendary director to star in the film

by

If you had to guess which big-name Hollywood director might show up in the new Star Wars film, Martin Scorsese likely wouldn’t be on that list.

Martin Scorsese, the acclaimed director behind films like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, actually does appear in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, though it’s just a voice acting role.

Martin Scorsese appears as Hugo, a shopkeeper from Arden – a likely reference to his 2011 movie Hugo – and Jon Favreau, who wrote and directed the film, told TopMob he was surprised Scorsese accepted the part.

He said in a recent interview that after creating the character, they brainstormed a list of actors they’d like to have voice it.

Honestly, getting someone on board was so much smoother knowing I wouldn’t be tied up on set for months. Luckily, Kathy Kennedy already had a great relationship with him – they’ve been friends for a long time, which really helped.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

Kennedy then contacted Scorsese, who quickly accepted the part. Shortly after, Favreau began recording Scorsese in a studio, and also filmed him to help with the animation and design of his character.

Favreau described meeting Spielberg as a dream come true. He explained that Spielberg has always been a major creative inspiration, and that influence is visible throughout his filmography, especially in his earlier, independent work.

I was so excited to see Martin Scorsese wasn’t the only legend in this movie! Sigourney Weaver, who I’ve admired for years in Alien, actually joined the Star Wars universe too. She plays Colonel Ward, and she’s basically the person giving orders to Mando – a really cool addition to the story.

Favreau said Weaver was enthusiastic about the role, and that the character meant a lot to both him and LucasFilm’s Dave Filoni.

He described the character as someone who could have easily fought alongside Princess Leia and the other rebels of that era.

Whenever she appears on camera, people immediately think about her reputation. Seeing her in charge of the base, it’s clear she’s a powerful and respected leader.

He explained that you readily believe the performance because the actress doesn’t just become the character; all her previous roles subtly influence how you perceive her in this one.

While ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ is the first Star Wars film released since ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ in 2019, fans have had plenty of Star Wars content to enjoy in the years since then.

Disney+ has released a lot of Star Wars shows, like all three seasons of The Mandalorian, so it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a new Star Wars project to truly capture attention.

But when we put that question to Favreau, he wasn’t so convinced.

He explained that there’s a surge in storytelling happening right now, not just with Star Wars, but across all forms of entertainment.

As a critic, I’ve always found it interesting how different fantasy series coexist for me. Watching something like ‘Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of ‘House of the Dragon’ or ‘Game of Thrones’ – they all stand on their own, and I can appreciate each one separately.

When a world is created with clear details, it opens up many different story possibilities. People naturally gravitate towards the aspects they enjoy most within that world.

Lately, the Star Wars universe has explored various styles and eras, and fans connect with different aspects depending on their age and how they first experienced the franchise.

The Mandalorian & Grogu is coming to cinemas on 22 May.

Authors

Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona writes about movies for TopMob, covering both theatrical releases and streaming titles. He’s been with the site since October 2019, and during that time has interviewed many famous actors and reviewed a wide variety of films.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-05-21 19:05