Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian trailer suggested that bounty hunting is a “complicated” profession. It’s also an expensive one if the Disney+ streaming series’s budget is anything to go by. Rumors suggested the series cost in the range of $12.5 million to $15 million per episode to make. That puts the total cost of the first season at over $100 million. Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that those estimates are correct, more or less. He didn’t go into specifics about the cost, and wouldn’t reveal how Disney plans to measure The Mandalorian’s success. “We’re in this for the long run,” Iger said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”
That’s a considerable production budget for a television series, but it’s slight compared to what Disney is spending on its Marvel Studios shows. Disney is reportedly spending in the region of $25 million per episode or more on those shows. Disney will reportedly spend $1 billion on original programming for the Disney+ streaming service.
Iger says Disney is in it “for the long run.” That’s supported by The Mandalorian already being in production on its second season.
Based on what series star Carl Weathers told ComicBook.com, Disney’s money has been put to good use creating groundbreaking visuals. “What is spectacular about The Mandalorian is I don’t remember ever seeing anything on television or made for television that looks like it,” Weathers said. “It is spectacular, that’s the best word for it. The utilization of special effects is just seamless because you don’t have effects alone, it always involves the characters. I just think it’s going to blow people away, and if you’re an ardent fan who is going to be watching, and I suspect there will be many, my god. I think they’re going to be thrilled.”
Are you excited about Star Wars: The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments. The Mandalorian debut on Disney+’s launch day, November 12th.
The Mandalorian isn’t the only Star Wars show headed to Disney+. A show following Obi-Wan Kenobi is in the works, with Ewan MacGregor returning to the role. Another series about Rogue One’s Cassian Andor is also in development.
The film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will conclude the Skywalker saga when it opens in theaters on December 20th. Another Star Wars film trilogy is in the works from Game of Thrones writers DB Weiss and David Benioff. That trilogy will begin in 2022.