Martin Scorsese is venturing into a galaxy far, far away. The legendary director has a voice role in this summer’s Star Wars centerpiece, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
A sequel to Disney+’s hit series The Mandalorian, the film follows Din Djarin (aka Mando) and Grogu (formerly The Child, formerly Baby Yoda) as they travel through a galaxy recovering from the fall of the evil Empire. The latest trailer features Scorsese as an Ardenian shopkeeper who Mando approaches for information.
At first, the four-armed, furry creature appears to be dropping some kind of knowledge. After Mando drops a coin with the New Republic symbol on it, Scorsese’s character says, “I’ll give you anything for that price.” However, when a masked bounty hunter says, “I’m looking for the Hutt,” the door is immediately opened. “I’m off tonight! Thank you.”
Scorsese, who famously likened blockbuster entertainment, particularly Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, to a “theme park,” has previously done voice work on his own films, including the 2004 animated adventure “Shark Tale,” “Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Meanwhile, Jon Favreau, creator of The Mandalorian and director of The Mandalorian and Grogu, has cast Werner Herzog, Jack Black and other big names in audio cameos, known as the Mandoverse.
For X, Star Wars officials appear to be referencing Scorsese’s previous comments about Marvel films (in 2019, he said of the series, “That’s not a movie”) by describing scenes from Scorsese’s The Mandalorian and Grogu as “absolutely cinematic.”
Disney and Lucasfilm will release The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters on May 22nd. Pedro Pascal, who plays Din Djarin, will appear on screen alongside Sigourney Weaver as a skilled fighter pilot. Jeremy Allen White as Jabba the Hutt’s rebellious son, Lotta. Johnny Coyne plays a ruthless Imperial general. The film also features popular Star Wars characters such as Bab Frik and Zeb Orrelios, making it the first Star Wars movie to appear on the big screen in seven years.
