Filming on season two of Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it's unclear when filming will resume – one thing we do know about Mando's next batch of adventures, though, is that director Taika Waititi will not be involved.
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Oscar winner Waititi helmed the show's first season finale, as well as voicing the droid IG-11, but has now confirmed that he won't be back behind the camera next season.
Taika Waititi poses in the press room during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards
Answering questions from fans during an Instagram Live, the Thor: Ragnarok director said: "I’m not directing any of the episodes of The Mandalorian because I was doing another film, a soccer film with Michael Fassbender. After Jojo Rabbit I decided to make a sports film, something I’ve never done, about a sport I knew nothing about and I still don’t."
Waititi was referred to his upcoming movie Next Goal Wins, which adapts the story of the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in World Cup history, losing to Australia 31-0 in 2001, and will star Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss and Armie Hammer.
Fingers crossed that his busy schedule – Waititi's also set to direct the next Thor movie, Love and Thunder, for Marvel – won't rule him out from voicing IG-11 again...
The Mandalorian writer/producer Jon Favreau is confirmed to be directing on season two, having been able to helm an episode for the first season due to his commitments to Disney's live-action The Lion King, while Carl Weathers – who plays Greef Karga on the show – will also direct an episode.
The first season of The Mandalorian debuts new episodes every Friday on Disney+ in the UK. Sign up to Disney+ now with a seven-day free trial.
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
