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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 2 November 2019
A new hope for Star Wars on Disney Plus in 'The Mandalorian'

By LINDSEY BAHR But Pascal, known for play- "The Lion King" and "Jungle
Associated Press ing Oberyn Martell on Book" director Jon Favreau
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Never "Game of Thrones," knew was enlisted to executive
heard of a Mandalorian? that this Mandalorian char- produce and write for "The
You're not alone. acter looked a lot like Boba Mandalorian," which is set
Actor Pedro Pascal hadn't Fett and that was enough in the franchise's Outer
either when he started talk- for him. The stoic bounty Rim five years after "Return
ing to Jon Favreau and hunter behind the helmet of the Jedi" and 25 years
Dave Filoni about an ambi- who made his debut in before the events of "The
tious new "Star Wars" series "The Empire Strikes Back" Force Awakens." The eight
that would become a mar- became a cultish fan fa- episode series, which will
quee offering for the Walt vorite and happened to roll out on a near-weekly
Disney Co.'s new streaming be Pascal's preferred ac- basis, follows the title char-
service, Disney Plus, which tion figure as a kid. When acter in his bounty hunting
launches Nov. 12. he got out of the meeting adventures.
This Oct. 19, 2019 photo shows, from left, Gina Carano, Carl The world around him is full
Weathers and Pedro Pascal at the Disney Plus launch event of seedy and mysterious
promoting "The Mandalorian" at the London West Hollywood characters, like Greef Car-
hotel in West Hollywood, Calif. ga, played by Carl Weath-
Associated Press ers, who leads a bounty
and wanted to share the ogy. But the idea comes hunter guild, and former
news, he could barely get straight from George Lucas soldier Cara Dune, played
the words out. himself. He had envisioned by Gina Carano. As with all
"I was like, 'They want me a race of warrior peoples recent Star Wars properties,
to be — it's not Boba Fett, called the Mandalore that details are being kept as
but it's like, you remember. ended up getting stream- secret as possible.
They want me to be the lined into one character "I had to cut my finger and
coolest looking thing in Star in the films — Boba Fett. sign in blood that I would
Wars, you know?'" Pascal "Star Wars" literature and say nothing about it, not
says, channeling his energy series like "The Clone Wars" even say I was doing it, that
from that day. "It was a big helped keep the Mandalo- I was part of it. They're very
geeky moment." rians alive over the years, protective of Star Wars, the
Pascal and anyone else and it re-emerged again stories, the Mandalorian,
scratching their heads when Disney and Lucasfilm the brand, and it makes
about how they might started thinking about non- sense," Weathers said. "We
have missed this Mandalo- Skywalker ideas for the new all want to protect it also."
rian concept can rest easy: streaming service where it's But from early footage and
It's not even a word that's primed to get its biggest the nature of the bounty
uttered in the original tril- audience yet. hunting profession, q

Grammys to honor Dr. Dre for

trailblazing production work

By MESFIN FEKADU
Associated Press
Dr. Dre, who has produced
hits for Eminem, Tupac,
Snoop Dogg and more, will
be honored by the Record-
ing Academy for his trail-
blazing production work.
The Recording Academy
announced Friday that
its Producers & Engineers
Wing will pay tribute the
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
on Jan. 22 at Village Stu-
dios in Los Angeles. This Nov. 27, 2018 file photo shows music producer and
The event takes place entrepreneur Dr. Dre at a hand and footprint ceremony honoring
four days before the 2020 Quincy Jones in Los Angeles.
Grammys. Dre has won six Associated Press
Grammys, three of which "Straight Outta Compton." .Paak and many more. He
he took home as a pro- He went on to produce also found success outside
ducer or engineer. Born in his own hits and multiplati- of rap, producing Top 10
Compton, he broke out num albums, along with pop hits for Gwen Stefani,
on the music scene as a crafting music for Eminem, Michel'le and Mary J. Blige,
co-founding member of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Ken- helping the R&B queen top
N.W.A., producing some of drick Lamar, 50 Cent, Eve, the Billboard Hot 100 chart
the group's groundbreak- Jay-Z, Nas, Busta Rhymes, for the first time with "Family
ing 1988 debut album, Xzibit, the Game, Anderson Affair."q