The Mandalorian's Grogu cost how much to make?!
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00As with any Star Wars project, worth it's blue milk, with such a monumental feat of
00:05cinematic television obviously comes with it a whole host of intriguing facts and secrets
00:10that make the end product as satisfying to digest as a frog lady's offspring.
00:14Too soon?
00:15Either way, I'm Gareth from What Culture Star Wars and here are 10 Mind-Blowing Facts
00:20You Didn't Know About The Mandalorian.
00:2210.
00:23Tusken Sign Language Was Created For The World
00:26When it comes to Disney Plus' corner of the galaxy far, far away in general, the treatment
00:31of the once terrifying and underdeveloped Tusken Raiders made for a rather refreshing
00:35change.
00:36Instead of being simply presented as the senseless villains occupying Tatooine as they had been
00:40in the previous few decades, the likes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett
00:45highlighted how there was truly more than meets the goggle when it comes to these native
00:49sand people.
00:50One of the most compelling developments when it came to the well-known Star Wars race,
00:53however, was the introduction of Tusken Sign Language in the first season of The Mandalorian.
00:58In order to gain safe passage across the desert, Mando converses with the Raiders using this
01:03distinct form of sign language.
01:05Distinct because it was actually designed specifically for the show and subsequent spinoff,
01:09with Troy Kotzer, the first deaf actor to win an acting Oscar, playing a major part
01:14in developing the language.
01:169.
01:17How The Fans Influenced The Sokotanos Casting The second it became clear that not only were
01:21the fans finally set to be treated to a live-action iteration of the hugely popular Clone Wars
01:26and Rebels star Ahsoka Tano, but that she was also going to be brought to life by none
01:31other than Rosario Bloody Dawson.
01:33The hype was understandably quite strong with this second season of The Mandalorian, yet
01:37little did those passionate Ahsoka adorers know.
01:40Their dreams of seeing an actor of Dawson's calibre take up the reins expertly handled
01:44by Ashley Eckstein coming into Tano's live-action debut actually caught the attention of none
01:49other than Dave Filoni himself when casting the part.
01:52In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Dawson would go on record to admit that her reaction
01:56to a fan casting her in the role eventually found its way onto the radar of someone who
02:00had been doing press for Star Wars.
02:03Said exchange was eventually passed on to Filoni, who would later reveal,
02:06That was the first time, and I looked at Rosario and I thought, huh, yeah, I think maybe she
02:10would make a good Ahsoka.
02:12Sure enough, Filoni has been proven right and then some ever since.
02:158.
02:16No Green Screens Required
02:18Never exactly shy about attempting to pull off technological feats that few have ever
02:22dared to even try, the Star Wars franchise has seen countless pieces of innovation eventually
02:28influence the wider filmmaking sphere over the years.
02:31And not to be outdone by the groundbreaking CGI and effects that thoroughly changed the
02:35game on the big screen, The Mandalorian brought with it a piece of kit that holds the potential
02:39to completely alter modern filmmaking for the better.
02:43As revealed in the fourth episode of The Mandalorian's Disney gallery titled Technology, the volume
02:48is comprised of a number of gigantic video screens, and provided the likes of Jon Favreau
02:52with the tools to shoot epic otherworldly sequences from the comfort of an indoor studio.
02:58Said LED screens are able to be effectively manipulated in the moment, with the 3D background
03:03moving only within the camera's field of view, and boast the ability to provide more realistic
03:08colours and reflect metallic surfaces more authentically.
03:11The tool has become so revolutionary, Mando episode directors Taika Waititi and Peyton
03:15Reed have also adopted it for use for their upcoming Thor, Love and Thunder and Ant-Man
03:19and the Wasp Quantumania MCU projects, respectively.
03:237.
03:24A Plo Koon Swerve Keeping a secret under wraps in order to elicit
03:28a suitably jaw-dropping response is not exactly new for the Star Wars universe, but The Mandalorian
03:34Season 2's epic conclusion came with it perhaps even more secrecy than a certain M Player
03:39Strikes Back reveal.
03:41Completely omitting the name Luke Skywalker from the script, those shooting the emotionally
03:44charged sequence on the day were convinced that they were actually witnessing the stunning
03:48return of none other than Master Plo Koon, thanks to the script including his name, concept
03:53art depicting the Jedi, and even a CGI rendering of Koon's head being placed on Luke in the
03:58now iconic scene.
04:00Always one step ahead, Dave Filoni was well aware that diehards were wise to Koon being
04:04his favourite Jedi, so assumed that any leaks surrounding the seemingly dead character arriving
04:08back on the scene would be accepted as fact, paving the way for the real zinger down the
04:13line.
04:14A scene where Leighton Reed was under the impression Plo was about to show, with the
04:17director sharing the sort of reaction the majority of fans would have had on the development
04:21of Are You Being Serious Right Now?
04:23Is This Real?
04:24You're Bringing The Guy Back?
04:26When he learned of the news.
04:276.
04:28Some Well-Known Guest Voices It wouldn't be a slice of galaxy far, far
04:32away goodness without a few cheeky star-studded cameos, now would it?
04:36More than filling their well-known talent quota over the course of the show's first
04:40two seasons, The Mandalorian has seen the likes of comedy stars Adam Pally and Jason
04:44Sudeikis stop by as cheaply kitted-out stormtroopers in the first season.
04:48But that merely scratches the starry appearance surface, as Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill,
04:53was drafted in to voice droid bartender EV-99, John Leguizamo stops by as Gorka Resh, Richard
05:00Ioardi voices Zero, hell, even Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau themselves rock up as New
05:05Republic pilot Trapper Wolf and another hulking Mandalorian respectively.
05:09It's not hard to see why just about anyone who is anyone is in a rush to lend their vocal
05:13or physical talents to this much-adored world, whether or not their cooperation is announced
05:17in advance or not.
05:19The question is which famous faces or voices will be sneaking their way onto the small
05:23screen by the time season three rolls around.
05:265.
05:27The Inspiration Behind Mando's Weapons An awful lot of time and effort went into finalising
05:32some of the exquisite detail on show over the course of Disney Plus' first real resounding
05:37TV success.
05:38And among the superbly crafted sets, costumes and spaceships are the unmistakable weapons
05:44utilised by some of The Mandalorian's major players.
05:47In particular, Din Djarin and many of the other characters on show's tools for getting
05:51the job done were said to have drew inspiration from World War II weapons.
05:55As prop master Josh Roth explained in the practical Disney Gallery episode, with the
05:59original trilogy they rented surplus weapons from World War II and modified them.
06:04So with The Mandalorian going down after said trilogy, the decision was wisely made
06:08to follow in their weaponised footsteps.
06:11This wasn't the only time The Mandalorian drew inspiration from prior Star Wars content
06:15either, as Mando's signature Pulse Blaster rifle was the result of Jon Favreau, Dave
06:19Filoni and the gang seeing the undoubtedly awesome weapon used by Boba Fett in 1978's
06:25Star Wars Holiday Special and feeling it more than fit the bill for their leading gunslinger.
06:294.
06:30The Ins and Outs of The Mandalorian On Set It's time to focus a spotlight on precisely
06:35what went into making Din Djarin the masked space Lone Ranger we didn't know we needed
06:40on the set of The Mandalorian.
06:42Of course, the brilliant Pedro Pascal was tasked with being the literal face and voice
06:46of this titular Mandalorian, however it wasn't simply a case of just suiting up the Game
06:50of Thrones and Narcos star and strutting him out onto the volume every day.
06:54Instead, whenever the Beskar-sporting badass was required to get particularly physical,
06:59one of two stunt people was substituted into his unmistakable outfit – gun expert Brendan
07:03Wayne and hand-to-hand combat pro Lateef Crowder, depending on the sequence.
07:08In fact, Pascal's stunt doubles were so damn convincing that when the actor couldn't
07:11make it to set to shoot for episode 4 of the first season, due to King Lear Broadway rehearsals
07:16as you do, said stunt performers took up the reins before Pascal later added his recorded
07:21lines in post.
07:22And as another interesting tidbit, Pascal also genuinely busted his head on a piece
07:26of plywood before dramatically revealing his mug for the first time as Jarin in season
07:311.
07:32So some of the wounds seen in that moment are actually legit.
07:353.
07:36What Goes Into Bringing Grogu to Life?
07:38Sticking with the details behind what went into producing two of the most likeable and
07:42engaging characters Star Wars has unleashed in recent times, and with a little green legend
07:46who quickly stole the hearts of the entire galaxy, opting instead to go back to basics
07:51and rely more heavily on practical effects than the more commonly used CGI tools seen
07:55in the majority of sci-fi projects today, producing a realistic Grogu puppet for use
07:59on the set of The Mandalorian did not come cheap by any means.
08:03Coming in at a cool $5 million, there's a reason aforementioned one-time Stormtrooper
08:08Adam Pally was given a passive-aggressive dressing down by Jon Favreau, on the back
08:12of walloping baby Yoda a little too hard in one particular take.
08:16Taking a staggering four puppeteers to operate the lifelike little guy, one designated to
08:20his eyes, another his head and body, another his mouth and ears, and alas, the other parts
08:24of his body and arms.
08:26Legendary director Werner Herzog even went out of his way to advise Deborah Chow to double
08:30down on committing to the puppet instead of using CGI.
08:34Such was his connection to the entirely convincing puppet.
08:372.
08:38Fan-Made Stormtrooper Outfits Were Needed After They Ran Out
08:41A great many of those who confessed to be Star Wars diehards will likely have already
08:45stumbled upon the 501st Legion.
08:47But for those not yet in the know, this fan-based organization, comprised entirely of volunteers,
08:52specializes in the design and construction of entirely accurate replicas of famous Star
08:57Wars costumes.
08:58Vader's Fist has lovingly been given a few nods in canon Star Wars lore over the years,
09:03most notably in the Clone Wars animated series with the appearances of the 501st Clone Battalion,
09:08a unit serving under Anakin Skywalker and led by Captain Rex.
09:12So when the Mandalorians soon realized they'd underestimated just how many Stormtrooper
09:16outfits they required over the course of shooting season one, the 501st were dramatically called
09:21upon to save the day.
09:23A number of members of the Legion soon showed up to set, fully kitted out in their own iconic
09:27white armor, and provided the necessary backup for the season's seventh and eighth episodes.
09:321.
09:33The Cost of Crafting Already evidenced in Jon Favreau's willingness
09:37to drop $5 million of Disney's books on the creation of series megastar Grogu, the
09:42eventual eye-watering cost-per-episode numbers that would reveal themselves later down the
09:46road suggest the producing of The Mandalorian was no penny-pinching exercise.
09:51Each entry in the 16-chapter tale was said to have cost around $15 million to produce,
09:56meaning that each of the first two seasons would have taken around $120 million to fully
10:00commit to the screen.
10:02This is similar to the cost of each of the final Game of Thrones episodes, again in the
10:06$15 million ballpark, but utterly dwarfs that HBO show's first season numbers of just
10:12$6 million per episode.
10:14This absolutely pales in comparison to Netflix's Stranger Things season four budget, though.
10:20And Amazon Prime's upcoming reported investment of $462 million on its first The Lord of the
10:28Rings The Rings of Power season, of course.
10:30But the likes of Favreau and Filoni likely won't be in too much of a rush to match those
10:34jaw-dropping production cost numbers, as long as their well-received small-screen Star Wars
10:39universe continues to leave audiences clamoring for more.
10:42And that's our list!
10:43Know of any other mind-blowing facts people didn't know about The Mandalorian?
10:46Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below, and do not forget
10:49to like, share and go and click on that subscribe button if you like this kind of thing.
10:53Also, if you enjoyed this video, then head on over to whatculture.com and find some more
10:56incredible articles just like the one the video you're watching right now is based on.
11:00I have been Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars, may the 4th be with you, thank you very much
11:04for watching this video today, and I'm sure I'll see you very, very soon.
11:07Bye bye!