Pedro Pascal is now basically synonymous with that shiny beskar armor and being the cool space dad to the galaxy’s cutest green child, but apparently when he first signed on for The Mandalorian, he had absolutely no clue who he was actually playing.
In a interview with Disney’s Twenty-Three Magazine, Pascal revealed that when he walked into Jon Favreau’s office for their first meeting about the show, he took one look at all the concept art on the walls, saw a Mandalorian warrior in distinctive armor, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was finally getting to play Boba Fett.
You know, THE Boba Fett, the legendary bounty hunter who’s been a Star Wars icon since the 1980s despite having like ten minutes of actual screen time in the original trilogy. Pascal was sitting there thinking he’d landed one of the most coveted roles in Star Wars only to have Favreau be like “uh, no, you’re playing a completely different guy.”
The confusion is honestly understandable because Boba Fett was literally the only famous Mandalorian anyone knew about for decades, and the armor designs look pretty similar if you’re not deep into Star Wars lore. But the fact that Pascal went from “I’m playing Boba Fett” to “I’m playing who now?” to creating one of the biggest new Star Wars characters in recent history is kind of perfect, and honestly makes Din Djarin’s success even more impressive since Pascal basically had to build this character from scratch instead of stepping into established shoes.
The Meeting Where Everything Got Confusing
Pascal walked into Jon Favreau’s office and immediately noticed the walls were absolutely covered with concept art and story illustrations for this mysterious new Star Wars show. Among all that artwork, one figure jumped out at him: a Mandalorian in armor that looked a whole lot like Boba Fett’s iconic get-up. Pascal’s brain did what any Star Wars fan’s brain would do and went “oh cool, they’re finally doing a deep dive into Boba Fett’s character.”
Favreau started talking through the project, going over the story direction, the visual style, the tone they were going for, all of it. Pascal was getting more and more excited because everything sounded amazing. But here’s the thing: Favreau never explicitly said which character Pascal was being offered. So Pascal’s sitting there looking at all this incredible artwork, assuming he knows what’s happening, and finally had to just ask outright, “Well, who am I?”
He started pointing at different characters, creatures, aliens, whatever was in the concept art, trying to get Favreau to clarify which one was his. That’s when Favreau dropped the news: “You’re the Mandalorian.” And Pascal, still completely confused about which Mandalorian that meant, had the most understandable reaction ever.
The Boba Fett Assumption
Pascal’s immediate response was peak excitement: “I was like, ‘WHAT? I get to play Boba Fett?'” Because why wouldn’t he think that? Boba Fett has been a cult favorite Star Wars character for literal decades. Fans went absolutely nuts over this guy despite him having minimal dialogue and getting taken out by a blind Han Solo accidentally hitting his jetpack in Return of the Jedi. Getting to play Boba Fett would be huge for any actor.
But Favreau had to burst that bubble pretty quickly. “No, he’s not Boba Fett. He’s the Mandalorian.” Meaning Din Djarin, a character who didn’t exist yet, who nobody knew about, who Pascal would essentially have to create from the ground up. No established backstory to lean on, no decades of fan theories to reference, just a blank slate in Mandalorian armor.
Looking back on it now, Pascal described that moment as something he “couldn’t have imagined a better moment.” The confusion transformed into an opportunity that might have been even better than playing Boba Fett. Instead of trying to live up to fan expectations for an established character, Pascal got to help create someone entirely new who could potentially become just as iconic.
Building Din Djarin From Scratch
From that weird beginning where Pascal thought he was playing a completely different character, he went on to make Din Djarin into one of the most beloved new Star Wars characters in recent memory. The Mandalorian presented this bounty hunter who follows a strict code but also has this unexpected caring, fatherly side that comes out through his relationship with Grogu (Baby Yoda to the rest of us).
This protective dad archetype became Pascal’s whole thing. He did it again in The Last of Us playing Joel, another grizzly protective father figure traveling through dangerous territory with a kid who needs protecting. Jon Favreau even commented on this pattern to Empire magazine, saying “It’s amazing how much he’s really cornered the market on this dad, protective father archetype. But they’re different characters, though!”
The fact that Din Djarin has become as recognizable as Darth Vader to modern Star Wars fans proves that creating an original Mandalorian character instead of just focusing on Boba Fett was absolutely the right call. That T-shaped visor is instantly identifiable now, and the character has spawned multiple seasons, appearances in other shows, and now a theatrical movie.
The Big Screen Move
Din Djarin and Grogu are jumping to theaters with The Mandalorian & Grogu movie dropping in 2026. The film picks up after season 3, where Grogu got officially adopted by Din and the pair settled into domestic life on Nevarro while taking New Republic contracts.
Moving these characters from Disney Plus to movie theaters is kind of a big deal. The Mandalorian launched as THE show for Disney Plus, basically the reason a lot of people subscribed to the service in the first place. Taking them theatrical means Lucasfilm thinks they can pull movie theater crowds, which is a whole different beast than streaming success.
Season 4 Is in Limbo
Here’s where things get messy. Jon Favreau told Empire in November 2025 that he actually wrote an entire fourth season. “We were planning on doing a fourth season. I had actually written all of that. I still have season 4 sitting on my desk here.” But then the 2023 writers’ strike and actors’ strike happened, production stopped, and Lucasfilm apparently decided to pivot to a movie instead.
Whether that movie is replacing season 4 entirely or if we’ll get both eventually, nobody knows. Reports suggest the movie’s box office performance will determine if the story continues as films or goes back to Disney Plus. So basically, the show’s future on streaming is completely up in the air almost three years after season 3 ended.
There’s also Dave Filoni’s Star Wars movie that’s supposed to tie together all the Disney Plus shows, and presumably Din and Grogu will factor into that somehow, but details are basically nonexistent right now.
From Mistaken Identity to Star Wars Icon
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The whole story of Pascal thinking he was playing Boba Fett adds this hilarious layer to The Mandalorian’s origin. Imagine walking into that meeting all hyped about finally playing this legendary character, only to find out you’re actually playing someone who doesn’t even exist yet. Most actors would probably be at least a little disappointed, but Pascal turned it into creating one of the biggest new Star Wars characters in years.
If the show had actually been about Boba Fett from the start, we never would have gotten Din Djarin. We wouldn’t have that specific father-son dynamic with Grogu that made the show work so well. We wouldn’t have watched a character develop from mysterious lone wolf bounty hunter into reluctant dad willing to break his creed for this kid he adopted. All of that came from creating someone new instead of relying on an established fan favorite.
The character who confused Pascal when he first saw the concept art has earned his spot alongside Star Wars legends. Din Djarin is just as iconic now as the bounty hunter Pascal initially thought he was being asked to play, which is pretty wild considering Boba Fett had a 40-year head start.
What Happens Next
The 2026 theatrical movie will be the first test of whether Din Djarin and Grogu can succeed outside the streaming environment that made them famous. If it works, maybe we’re looking at a movie franchise instead of returning to TV. If it doesn’t, maybe that season 4 script sitting on Favreau’s desk actually gets produced.
Either way, Pascal’s journey from “I’m playing Boba Fett” to creating one of Star Wars’ newest icons is one of those Hollywood stories that worked out way better than anyone could have predicted. The initial confusion became the foundation for something that might end up being even bigger than if he’d actually been playing Boba Fett like he first thought.
The Bigger Picture
The Mandalorian’s success with a brand new character proves Star Wars doesn’t need to rely exclusively on legacy characters to connect with audiences. Yeah, Boba Fett is cool and eventually got his own show, but Din Djarin carved out his own space in the galaxy and became a fan favorite without decades of built-up mystique.
Pascal’s performance behind that helmet showed that Star Wars still has room for new heroes who can become just as beloved as the classics. The fact that he initially thought he was playing someone else entirely just makes the whole thing more entertaining in retrospect.
Whether The Mandalorian continues as movies or eventually returns to Disney Plus, Din Djarin has already secured his place in Star Wars history. Not bad for a character the actor playing him didn’t even know existed when he first signed on.
So what’s your take on all this? Are you excited about The Mandalorian movie or would you rather it stayed on Disney Plus? And honestly, can you imagine if Pascal had actually been playing Boba Fett this whole time instead of creating Din Djarin? Drop a comment and let us know what you think about this whole situation, because the show’s future is still pretty unclear and it’s wild that we’re three years past season 3 without knowing if there will even be a season 4.
