Jon Favreau hopes that The Mandalorian and Grogu introduces Star Wars to a new generation of fans.
The 59-year-old filmmaker has helmed the new movie set in the iconic sci-fi franchise and hopes it attracts new audiences – following a seven-year wait for a picture since the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
Speaking on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, Favreau said: "I love that it's been almost seven years since Star Wars has been in theatres.
"And there's a whole generation that's old enough now to see Star Wars – that may not have been old enough last – and this might be the first Star Wars movie they've seen in a movie theatre. So that's fun too.
"So that's part of why I enjoy going around the world showing parts of the movie and then finally going back to LA for the premiere soon. And now I can also sneak into the theatres and watch reactions – which is a big, big thrill."
The Mandalorian and Grogu – which stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter – is a continuation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and Favreau wants the picture to be watched in cinemas.
The Elf filmmaker recalled to hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett: "One of the things that we always felt bad about was that we never got to see Star Wars. When I grew up, I saw for the first time, I was 10 years old, New York.
"I think it had such an impression, not just because of what was on the screen, but the energy in the room. It's a crowd-pleasing film, and with Star Wars, everything that you're seeing, the audience is cheering, they're laughing together.
"And as a young viewer, I think you pick up on the energy in the room a lot. It imprints upon you what people – That's how you learn what's funny, what's exciting. You get, your tastes are being developed – at that moment.
Favreau continued: "And we built it for IMAX, we partnered with IMAX, so it's, as you saw, we built big sets, we have big set pieces, big creatures, you know, we use old technology like stop-motion, CGI animation.
"All those things come together and make for this big spectacle, and I love that the fans are gonna get to react and pick up on all the little things that we put in for them."
Pascal's star has soared in recent years and Jon says it has been a pleasure to watch The Last of Us actor grow into one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
The director said: "We've been working together for eight years. So, before he was a household name, the genre fans knew him – from Game of Thrones, Narcos. They knew his face, they knew he was – cool.
"But there's a whole swath of actors that are like well-known and appreciated, but he's hit this other level now. Between The Last of Us and Fantastic Four. He's – just, he's now a household name.
"And now I have a helmet on a guy who's the biggest movie star – one of the biggest movie stars in the world. So that relationship is, we sort of grew together."
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