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Credit: DisneyThe latest rumors have taken the internet by storm, concerning fans of the Star Wars franchise and jeopardizing an upcoming release.
Fans of George Lucas’ Star Wars have been divided by the latest installments in the franchise, with the newest Disney+ original series, The Acolyte, causing polarized opinions online months before its release. Unfortunately, a recent online rumor could jeopardize the production of a highly-demanded movie.
A recent rumor took the internet by storm, stating that actor Pedro Pascal had “officially” finished filming for season two of the HBO original series The Last of Us, where he played the role of Joel Miller alongside Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The rumor added that Pascal would move forward with his latest project and begin filming for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s The Fantastic Four— slated for a summer 2025 premiere — this summer.
The rumor undoubtedly caused mixed emotions among The Last of Us fans, puzzled at the lead actor’s allegedly brief time on set — since filming for the second season began in February — and those eager to see Pedro Pascal take the role of Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic.
However, the news was quickly debunked by HBO in an IGN report, stating that Pascal “still has filming to do for The Last of Us Season 2,” adding that “rumors suggesting otherwise [were] not accurate.” The report added that filming for the rest of the season wasn’t expected to conclude until August 2024.
But what does this mean for the Star Wars franchise? Well, suppose Pedro Pascal will begin filming for Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four after The Last of Us season 2 wraps production in August. In that case, it may represent a scheduling conflict for the main character of the Disney+ original series The Mandalorian, jeopardizing his appearance in the upcoming Star Wars release, a movie following the story of Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and Din Grogu (or Grogu, or Baby Yoda as the fans fondly know him).
Earlier this year, Lucasfilm shocked fans after revealing The Mandalorian & Grogu (TBA), a movie set to be directed by The Mandalorian co-creator Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and fellow co-creator Dave Filoni.
Per the original press release, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which “will lead Lucasfilm’s ongoing feature-development slate,” is set to go into production in 2024 for a 2025 release.
Not a lot of details are currently available on The Mandalorian & Grogu. Nonetheless, the upcoming Star Wars release could aim for a 2025 premiere, suggesting we might not see Pascal’s face in the latest Lucasfilm project.
However, Pedro Pascal’s removal from filming wouldn’t be new in the Star Wars franchise, as several actors have confirmed that Pascal was barely on set for the last season of The Mandalorian and that he “hasn’t been there for a while” due to the liberty Brendan Wayne’s performance provides, as Wayne has stood in for Pascal in all three seasons of The Mandalorian while he continues to provide the character’s voice.
While Pedro Pascal could be torn between productions of The Fantastic Four, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and even The Last of Us, the actor hasn’t revealed plans to exit any of these significant projects.
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