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“Star Wars” fans are getting a closer look at how Din Djarin and Grogu made the jump from Disney+ to the big screen.
“The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a new 256-page hardcover from Abrams Books, arrives Nov. 3, offering an inside look at the creative process behind Lucasfilm’s latest theatrical release. Written by longtime Lucasfilm collaborator Phil Szostak, the book features previously unseen concept art, early sketches and interviews with the cast.
In particular, the book explores the visual development of the film’s characters, locations and vehicles. Production design has been a major part of the series since its 2019 debut, combining the Western-inspired aesthetic of the original “Star Wars” films with new environments created using Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft technology, which uses LED screens to generate digital backdrops.
The book also includes a foreword by Doug Chiang, Lucasfilm’s senior vice president and executive design director, who has worked on the franchise since the prequel trilogy and helped establish the show’s visual style.
See two spreads from the book, shared exclusively with Variety, below.
Released in May, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” marked the franchise’s first theatrical outing since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” bringing one of Disney+’s biggest original properties to cinemas after three seasons on streaming.
Created by Jon Favreau, “The Mandalorian” follows the adventures of Pedro Pascal’s helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin and his Force-sensitive young companion in the years following the fall of the Galactic Empire. Its success spawned a growing collection of interconnected “Star Wars” television projects, including “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka,” while helping Disney expand the franchise beyond its traditional theatrical releases.
Favreau returned to direct “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which follows the pair as they take on a new mission for the fledgling New Republic amid lingering threats from Imperial warlords. Pascal reprised his role alongside newcomers Sigourney Weaver and “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White, who voices Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba the Hutt.
The upcoming art book continues Abrams’ long-running series of behind-the-scenes “Star Wars” publications, which have become a staple of the franchise’s publishing business. Szostak, who has worked with Lucasfilm’s art departments since 2008, previously authored companion books for the first two seasons of “The Mandalorian,” as well as “The Rise of Skywalker” and “Andor.”