I’d have gotten through the mandalorian in a day. And then probably rewatched it as my friends started talking about it. As is I watched it once through

Yep.

I like the Witcher, but I don't feel like its binge potential is anywhere near the Mandalorian's. Both great shows, but give me a Mandalorian marathon over Witcher.

FYI, Netflix has 160 million subscribers worldwide, which has taken more than a decade to accumulate. Disney+ had a "soft" launch and expected somewhere between 5-6 million consumers the first month. Disney underestimated the demand and instead of 5-6 million, more than 10 million signed up the first day.

Disney was hoping to have somewhere around 25 million subscribers by 2024 but there are some estimates that say they've already hit that number with the Verizon tie-in so now, the estimates are around 50-60 million by 2024.

The real kicker here is that Netflix doesn't release their streaming numbers to anyone or any organization (which is quite frustrating to composers like me that have music on numerous Netflix programs, but that's another issue altogether). That includes ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and every other Performing Rights Organization in the world along with SAG, WGA, PGA and the DGA. So the bottom line is that no one outside of Netflix truly knows their actual streaming numbers.

Outside analysts use "Demand Expressions" to determine streaming numbers and unlike an Adult-Oriented show like The Witcher, The Mandalorian is directed at adults and kids alike (with a large segment of the Disney audience under aged for Google Searches). Since a portion of The Mandalorian's audience isn't old enough or doesn't have access to internet connected devices, the numbers when compared to an Adult-Oriented show can be misleading at best and off by millions at worst.

Great post.

Interesting.

I binged each of them over two days. But then I watched the Mandalorian again less than a week after first viewing. I could see me watching it again in a few months and then a fourth time before the new season launches in the fall.

Witcher I'll probably re-watch as a lead-in to season 2, but I don't see myself watching it again aside from that (and likely before later seasons, I do that with Netflix shows...). There's just other, better stuff to watch on Netflix. I'm currently halfway through season 3 of the Last Kingdom, all seasons of which were better than s1 of The Witcher. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy The Witcher and I'm not looking forward to ensuing seasosns, just that it's not good enough to warrant an immediate re-watch for me.

I won't re-watch either, but I did just finish reading The Last Wish and will continue through the other books.

So the armorer, is it Sabine or katan? I figured with the fall of the mandalorians they hide their true names now.

I'm going to guess neither. If it was bo-katan, I can't imagine they wouldn't have had Katee Sackhoff play her, even if she'd (the character) have been at least in her 50s or 60s. And as far as Sabine goes, as with Bo-Katan, I would expect they'd have Tiya Sircar play her, and even if they didn't, Emily Swallow gave her some kind of weird, English but not quite English accent, and Sabine spoke like an American.

I was watching Rebels yesterday, and now I'm wondering if they find a way to get Jacen Syndulla on the show. I mean, they could hire literally any actor, just give him green hair and maybe a little green tinted makeup.

Season 2 To Debut In October 2020

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/dis...re-1203492958/

Bob Iger is "suggesting" that there could be spinoffs of The Mandalorian.

Can’t wait.

Just got around to watching this. ****ing amazing.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KMxybK8XFQc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

According to Giancarlo Esposito:

That's what the video I just posted was about.

yeah, I read somewhere about a delay because the lightsaber battles with the dark saber were taking longer than the other lightsaber battles.

Wow, I hadn't heard that at all but I've been a bit out of the loop since the start of the year.

But still, that's weird. I mean, it's just basic rotoscoping and Season 2 is set for October.

I wonder how much of a leash KK and the current iteration of management will get now that Iger's out because he's been her biggest champion?

It apparently came out at a comic con. That's what the video was about. To my knowledge it hadn't been out prior.

The linked video describes a production delay due to the Darksaber? Interesting.

I guess I'd better watch it but generally, Star Wars fan videos feature people with voices that shouldn't be any where near a microphone...

:evil:

I didn't watch it all, I don't know about the production problem, but it's the first I'd heard about much lightsaber battles.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/rosariodawson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rosariodawson</a> has reportedly been cast as Ahsoka Tano in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMandalorian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMandalorian</a> Season 2! <a href="https://t.co/ggGj7Ce7SJ">https://t.co/ggGj7Ce7SJ</a></p>&mdash; Star Wars Direct (@StarWars_Direct) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarWars_Direct/status/1241054317156720640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kick ass!

Gonna be weird not hearing Ashley Eckstein's voice. Glad to see it, though. Maybe Sabine is next.

Sabine's clicking spurs which isn't Boba Fett's hopefully

If this report is true, I'll bet it was extremely difficult for Dave Filoni to cast someone other than Ashley because they're very close friends.

As much as I love Sabine's character (and really, everyone on the Ghost), I'm somewhat skeptical that Tiya Sircar would be their choice to play a live action Sabine, which for me, would take some of the fun out of seeing the character in that setting.

I heard last night that Ahsoka may very well get her own spinoff on Disney+, which makes sense because she's a ridiculously popular character and one of Dave Filoni's creations.

It's just going to be "weird" to see Dawson as opposed to Ashley because she not only voices the character, but all of her movements were motion-captures of Eckstein, meaning her walk, run and facial expression are all her, making the character truly her own.

I hope that Dawson can pull it off, especially the voice.

It could open the door to a number of other characters, too. There's for months been rumors about a Rebels sequel series with Sabine and Ahsoka searching for Ezra. Ahsoka's Mando appearance means a possibility for both (or neither...) of them to appear in live action (and no makeup or CG would be required...). Toss a green wig on a young actor and you have another Jedi in Jacen Syndulla. Maybe Hera is still around, too?

Let’s see, this would make her what? 50 in the series? I’ll be able to buy some what of a voice change as long as they make the character a good one.

She was 14 years old at the start of the Clone Wars, which lasted three years total, so she's probably somewhere in her 40's during the time of The Mandalorion.

Also, no life expectancy is known for people of Togruta descent, so for all we know, she could live to be 200 years old.

The character, at least IMO, is amazing and I can only imagine the adventures Dave Filoni has cooked up for her character.

Yeah. Odds are she isn’t a kid anymore is all I’m saying.

Agreed on the story though. Imagine how bad ass she is all grown up and living in hiding the whole time.

In case you didn't watch it, she was an important part of Star Wars Rebels and was shown as around 20 years older than during the Clone Wars.

I have to say, I've grown to love Star Wars: Rebels and their characters to the point where they're sitting just behind Han, Luke, Leia and Chewy in the OT.

A series with Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra would be beyond awesome for me.

Shit. I haven’t watched much of it, probably 6 episodes into the first season.

Never mind. Disregard. My bad. I didn’t realize there was crossover. That should be motivation to finish watching it.

Dude, I'm currently rewatching Rebels so my 7 year old can catch up events and have a better understanding of the backstory behind The Mandalorian, and it's just freaking awesome.

At the time, I thought that Season 1 was a bit slow and maybe a tad directed more at children than adults but after re-watching it, I don't feel that way any longer. By the end of the first season, it's just ridiculously great, with subsequent seasons becoming darker while digging way more into Jedi & Sith lore. We're currently on Season 3, Episode 16 and suffice to say, the story arc is ridiculously important to The Mandalorian. The animation becomes better with each subsequent season as well but it really looks amazing on Disney+ and a 75" 4K TV.

Also, once you've finished the series, there are several Star Wars Rebels shorts on Disney+ that are cool and even the Star Wars Lego series is really cool for filling in backstory, whether it's the Clone Wars era, Rebels, the OT and even the Sequel Trilogy.

Also, another series to watch when you've finished Rebels (and really, The Clone Wars series in which Season 7 is freaking off the hook) is Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures. For some dopey reason, it's only available on YouTube but in terms of creativity and backstory, it's maybe the coolest series I've ever seen set in the Star Wars galaxy. Each episode is 1 minute or less but the animation and the stories are just fantastic. I won't give you the premise behind the series because I don't want to spoil it for you or anyone else but once you've completely Rebels and Clone Wars, please watch it because it's out of this world awesome.

Ahsoka Tano is a better foil for Anakin than Natalie Portman's Padme ever was.

That scene where she leaves the Jedi Order had me in tears.

She is an amazing character. I'm down with as many Ahsoka-centric series and films Lucasfilm creates, whether it's animation or Live-Action.

Give us more Ahsoka! :)

I'm OK with this.

https://scontent.fmkc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...f5&oe=5E9D95EE

This makes me so happy on two fronts. I absolutely love Rosario Dawson and would murder nearly anybody to spend a weekend with her, and I love Ahsoka's storyline through all the animated series'.

edit: I wonder if Ahsoka has been hiding on Yoda's home world?

I'M HARD

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Biehn has been cast in Star Wars: The Mandalorian&#39;s second season <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StarWars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StarWars</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMandalorian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMandalorian</a> <a href="https://t.co/swYnbIefvf">https://t.co/swYnbIefvf</a> <a href="https://t.co/y9N2fKKKZ9">pic.twitter.com/y9N2fKKKZ9</a></p>&mdash; Jason Ward (@MakingStarWars) <a href="https://twitter.com/MakingStarWars/status/1242533550211117057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Not sure why I didn't think about this sooner, but it's weird that these castings are coming out now. If I remember right, they wrapped on shooting for season two weeks ago.

edit: Yep.

Bounty ‘puck’ - implies ice hockey exists in the Star Wars galaxy. Will that be another spin off?

From my understanding, it's a Marketing Strategy in order to keep new subscribers that are joining due to the virus.

Not according to the uncertain etymology of puck.

So youre saying you wouldn’t like to see Star Wars on ice at Disneyland?

Nope.

Wonderful!

My son and I learned the theme song on guitar and play it together here and there. Just the basic part for me, while he gets the more complicated stuff. (to me anyway)

Fun to play.

So, during today's new episode of Clone Wars...

Clone Wars sucks complete dick so far.

The clone trooper arc was barely interesting and ashoka’s friends are boring and have boring and really dumb stories.

But at least we got Anakin for 10 seconds in 3 episodes.

Once my Verizon free deal ends I am cancelling. They do not have enough lined up for me to pay. People with kids I can see them keeping. They better hope they don't get a big falloff like hbo from it.

Personally I think Google and Netflix should partner up.

I can understand adults cancelling Disney+ but for people like me with younger kids, it's amazing. Keep in mind, ABC, NBC, Fox & CBS don't air any Family shows in Prime Time. It's not like when I was a kid when we could turn on the TV and see Brady Bunch, Gilligan and a whole host of family oriented fare.

Plus, there is SO MUCH content on Disney+ that it would take years to go through it all. And FWIW, their numbers are through the roof and they're streaming more than Netflix at this point.

Why? That would be astronomically awful. Netflix does just fine with screwing people over in terms of royalties and upfront payments to talent and crew.

Adding Google, the largest copyright infringers on the planet, would utterly destroy the entire entertainment business in less than a decade.

**** that.

I'm probably dropping disney+ after the clone wars ends, until Mando returns. Just nothing there for me right now.

I don't blame you, especially since all of the Marvel TV shows have been delayed and the Obi Wan and Cassian Andor shows won't debut until 2021 at the very earliest.

It's fairly impressive how quickly Disney was able to put together the Disney+ app, void most of their Star Wars licensing deals, pull content from Netflix, Amazon, TBS and others while converting a massive catalog to 4K.

But what's been far less than impressive is the availability of new content, which is the main draw for probably a good 35% of their subscribers. With current work environment being restricted, this will only hurt their subscriber base and cash flow, which is already reeling due to the shutdown of their parks division.

It's not a good time to be the CEO of Disney.

Is that why Iger exited stage left? I mean he left before the virus wrecked life for his parks, but nonetheless.

There was a rumor floating around town that Iger was given a head's up on the impact that COVID-19 may have on the US, leading him to abruptly step down, but I haven't been able to absolutely confirm that was this case.

Iger said the reason for leaving was that he wanted to spend more time on "the creative side of things" but I don't personally buy that explanation. It's like not he was a Creative in the past and he all had the creative power in the world as the CEO of Disney.

My opinion is that he indeed did know about the virus and recommended the Head of Parks to take over as CEO because that's really their biggest issue moving forward and there's no one better qualified to run the entire entity than Bob Chapek at this point in time.

Iger isn't the only one that got a heads up. There ought to be a ton of people under investigation right now. But none of them ever will be.

Unless Iger dumped a bunch of stock options I’m not sure he did anything unethical other than save face. I’m with Dane the whole creative thing doesn’t pass the smell test but I’m not sure he did anything nefarious other than not deal with it.

It should be noted that I haven’t paid attention to his stock options or compensation. I could be all the way wrong here.

FYI, Iger is still under contract with Disney through the end of 2021 and there have been no reports of any improprieties.

While I personally believe the press release was weird in its content, the fact of the matter is that Bob Iger oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox during his 14 years as CEO, along with the launch of Disney+ and the renovation and additions to several theme parks, including the $2 billion dollar Galaxy's Edge Star Wars land.

While he may or may not have been tipped off about the virus, he's accomplished more in the past 14 years than most Entertainment CEO's accomplish in decades. He's 69 years old and has pretty much done it all, so IMO, it's more likely than not that the reason for stepping down is just to enjoy life instead of constantly putting out fires.

I’d agree.

I remember doing a case study on Disney right about the time he was hired. Disney was performing really badly and I thought to myself, how do you un**** this? Shitcanning your CEO and hiring this Bob Iger fella probably ain’t it.

15 years later.... LOL

It's really extraordinary.

During my five years at Universal, it was owned chronologically by Panasonic and Seagram's (Vivendi's acquisition occurred after I'd left). Outside of publishing and Geffen records, the music and film divisions were garbage. They brought in new CEO's with every purchase and were never able to turn it around, let alone, rival Disney under Iger.

MCA/Universal was known to everyone that ever worked in the business, whether on the business or creative side, as Music Cemetery of America, which why the name was changed in 1996 to Universal.

I was at Paramount for nearly a decade and it was worse. I can't even count the number of people that ran Paramount/Viacom/CBS during that time and Paramount was constantly struggling. If not for the Titanic movie, which was a joint venture between Paramount & Sony, Paramount might be out of business today (although they're barely in it today).

The bottom line is that we may never see another Bob Iger in the entertainment world for decades, if ever again.

Disney+ subscribers topped 50 million as of yesterday.

They were hoping to hit 60 million by 2023.

Iger is a wizard.

Baby Yoda is all powerful indeed.

why did he leave? I know it was to be creative but that sounds like so much BS, no idea who would believe that crap.

I posted what I know just a few posts up from this :D

That makes sense. He’s 69. Not working on curing cancer but entertainment. I could see him and every other businessman at that age packing it in. How ever you enjoy life, just enjoy life.

They probably didn't factor in a global pandemic keeping entire nation's populations trapped inside their boring-ass homes. But it is still damn impressive. With that said, I am about to cancel it until Clone Wars concludes.

Disney originally hoped to hit 30 million subscribers by 2022, only to hit that number in January 2020, IIRC, which exceeded projections by several years.

Also, keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of subscribers are from the US at this point, as Disney+ just launched in the UK, Germany and France.

They've only aired like Episode 2 or 3 of The Mandalorian in those countries, so they'll likely see another bump in numbers, once all 8 episodes are available in those territories.

There's talk of an Ahsoka Tano spinoff from the Mandalorian.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Filmmaker <a href="https://twitter.com/TaikaWaititi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaikaWaititi</a>, who directed the final episode of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMandalorian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMandalorian</a>&#39;s first season, has revealed that he did not direct any episodes of Season 2 due to prior commitments... <a href="https://t.co/iiHlqDG784">https://t.co/iiHlqDG784</a></p>&mdash; Star Wars Direct (@StarWars_Direct) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarWars_Direct/status/1248654872762822661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maybe my expectations were too high. I wasn't impressed. A total meh from me.

People have over-hyped it for sure. It is a solid show, and a great foundation to build upon. Since it is a Star Wards property and it isn't a burning pile of shit, it appears to be solid gold by comparison. I think you should give it a second watch through maybe. I'd say it's a solid B with a bright future.

It's as campy as the first Star Trek.

What the hell do you think Star Wars IS?

The Mandalorian is fun as shit. And that's all it has to be.

It's definitely overly hyped and in the grand scheme of things, it's just a TV show. In terms of story telling and story arc, it's not groundbreaking, nor are they telling any new stories. Most of the episodes "felt" just like the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series, which is fine, but they're not splitting the atom. People watch it because they're hoping it's like Star Wars of the 70's and 80's.

If this had been a brand new universe with unknown characters rehashing Western stories and circumstances, it might not make it past the first season.

It maybe means a bit more to some (not all...) fans in my age group, who have wanted something like this from Star Wars for literally decade. Something set in the seedier side of the galaxy, without the simple black and white of the Jedi/sith conflict. Something set around smugglers and bounty hunters. And we finally got it. After a half dozen movies that completely lost the core of Star Wars this just feels like a return to the way Star Wars felt to kids in the 80s.

I've watched the series three times, and I've enjoyed it more each time. It just resonates with me.

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/ste...ne-1234582265/

Disney Plus ‘Rogue One’ Spinoff Adds Stellan Skarsgard, Kyle Soller

Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote “Rogue One,” is set to write the pilot for the series in addition to directing multiple episodes. He will work alongside series showrunner Stephen Schiff. Disney had previously indicated the show would debut in 2021, but it is unknown if the recent industry-wide shutdown caused but he COVID-19 pandemic will alter the premiere. Same goes for a production start date, which is still unknown due to the pandemic.

The untitled show focuses on Rebel agent Andor prior to the events of “Rogue One” in the early days of the Rebellion against the Empire. The show had been described as a “spy thriller” when plans for it were first revealed last year. It was also previously announced that Diego Luna would return as Andor, while Alan Tudyk is set to reprise his role as K-2SO, Andor’s droid sidekick.

Skarsgard is coming off his critically acclaimed role in “Chernobyl,” which earned him an Emmy nomination and can be seen next in Legendary’s “Dune” adaptation. He is repped by CAA and Curtis Brown Group.

The role is one of Soller biggest jobs in his career after years of cutting his teeth on British TV shows like “101 Dalmation Street” and “Poldark.” He was recently seen in the HBO movie “Brexit” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. He is repped by Hamilton Hoddel, Hhush and Gersh.

-------
Wow, this is a nice bit of casting to go along with Alan Tudyk and Diego Luna.

Very nice! Anticipation growing....

Skarsgard and Gilroy!! Boner level

Hopefully this show will actually make me care about Cassian Andor, the character, because the movie certainly didn't.

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Y8g0BTXRh4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is fake, btw

Gee, YOU THINK