SALT LAKE CITY — "Star Wars” creator George Lucas hasn’t been involved in day-to-day franchise operations since selling LucasFilm to Disney, but, “The Mandalorian” director Jon Favreau said Lucas was more than willing to offer advice.
In an interview with GQ Middle East, Favreau said he had “a long talk” with Lucas while planning the series. At the time, the older director recommended Favreau stick with classic mythology conventions for his series.
“One thing he said to me was, ‘Remember, Jon, the real audience for all stories and all myths is the kids that are coming of age,’ because he’s really a Joseph Campbell adherent,” Favreau said.
ComicBook.com notes that Lucas’ advice refers to Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” which is a literary cycle often used to tell stories about heroes who go on adventures, like Odysseus or Luke Skywalker. Campbell’s writing also served as a major inspiration for “A New Hope,” Lucas’ first “Star Wars” movie.
According to TV Tropes, The Hero’s Journey emphasizes three basic steps of a hero’s journey:
- Departure: the Hero leaves the familiar world behind.
- Initiation: the Hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world of adventure.
- Return: the Hero returns to the familiar world.
Campbell also wrote that mythological adventures often begin with a call to adventure, various challenges, a dark low point, and eventual atonement and a return home.
According to Favreau, storytelling through “The Hero’s Journey” helps impart wisdom to younger generations.
“We enjoy the stories as adults, but really, storytelling is about imparting the wisdom of the previous generations on to the children who are becoming adults and giving them a context for how to behave and how to learn the lessons of the past without making the mistakes on their own,” he said.
According to Deseret News, “The Mandalorian” follows Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian gunslinger following the events of “Return of the Jedi.” I previously reported the series will launch alongside Disney Plus on Nov. 12.