Jon Favreau, executive producer of The Mandalorian, has teased a revival of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special before, but now he has revealed new details about what exactly he has in mind. The Star Wars Holiday Special aired in 1978 on CBS, and it has become one of the most peculiar pop-culture artifacts ever created. The special was widely ridiculed at the time. In fact, the Star Wars Holiday Special was so bad that many Star Wars fans now look back on it with fondness. Based on the Wookie holiday Life Day, the special featured the entire main cast of Star Wars, musical numbers, and the first-ever appearance of bounty hunter Boba Fett. Mark Hammil, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Bea Arthur, for some inscrutable reason, all made appearances in the bizarre show, almost universally regarded as a trainwreck of galactic proportions.
In fact, The Mandalorian on Disney+ is the first live-action Star Wars show since that infamous Holiday Special. Perhaps that’s why Favreau included an easter egg reference to the special in The Mandalorian pilot. In the first episode, a side character mentions going home to their family in time for Life Day. That was just one of many Star Wars easter eggs in The Mandalorian premiere, but one that might prove to have special significance.
During a Q&A with The Mandalorian’s cast this week, actor and director John Favreau spoke to Variety about his new Disney+ show. Previously, Favreau has teased the possibility of creating a new Star Wars Holiday Special. When asked about these plans, Favreau replied, “Oh I would definitely be interested in doing a holiday special." Perhaps assuming the director was joking, Variety asked the director to clarify his comments, but he doubled down on reviving the holiday special. Not only that, he said that he even has a rough concept sketched out with a particular character from The Mandalorian in mind.
Now that the Star Wars universe has come to Disney+, Favreau might have the perfect venue to air a one-off Christmas special. British television shows often air special holiday episodes, which are an annual tradition on shows like Doctor Who. Favreau’s comments are sure to pique fans’ interest, especially since this isn’t the first time he’s teased a potential revival.
I’ve been thinking about it. It’s ready, the ideas are ready. I think it could be really fun. Not as part of this, but there’s an excitement around it because it was so fun and weird, and off and not connected to what ‘Star Wars’ was in the theater. ‘The Mandalorian’ cartoon, the Boba Fett cartoon, from the holiday special was definitely a point of inspiration for what we did in the show.
Favreau isn’t the only Star Wars fan that would love to see another special made in the future; fans have asked for a new Star Wars Holiday Special before. And if anyone can resurrect the Star Wars Holiday Special, Favreau would be the man to do it. He’s appeared as both an actor and director in the MCU, and now he’s brought Star Wars to TV. The Mandalorian has received positive early reviews, and Star Wars fans are always eager to check out new content from the franchise. Plus, if Disney does greenlight a new Star Wars Holiday Special, the bar is set incredibly low, which gives Favreau a lot of room for improvement.
Next: The Mandalorian Series Premiere Review
Source: Variety
