It wouldn’t be wrong to say that everyone is eagerly waiting for season 3 of The Mandalorian. The breakout Star Wars Disney+ show changed the course of the franchise that was embroiled in controversies and divisive reviews until then.

So how did The Mandalorian change things? It gave Lucasfilm and Disney their first clean hit in years. And in doing so, it set into motion the MandoVerse that is currently expanding slowly. First up is The Book of Boba Fett, which is airing right now.

Lucasfilm’s 2022 slate is looking really good on Disney+ right now as well. After Boba Fett finishes telling his story, fans will then get to experience Kenobi’s exile years in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

After that will come animated shows like season 2 of The Bad Batch. And if all goes well, then the year will end with season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Fans are eagerly waiting for season 3 of The Mandalorian because season 2 ended with shocking revelations and cliffhangers. Bo-Katan Kryze actor Katee Sackhoff is hoping that the Darksaber thread will be addressed in season 3.

Leaks From The Set Of The Mandalorian Season 3

The show began production on season 3 way back in September 2021. There were a couple of leaks from the set which revealed some really interesting things about the newest upcoming season.

One set video showed a new Mandalorian joining the show in bulky armor on an ice planet. Also, fans got to see a large-scale action scene being filmed with several Mandalorian warriors.

Filming was on a break over the holidays and this led many to think that it would be resuming soon. But this isn’t the case. Fans will be disheartened to learn about the latest season 3 production update.

The Mandalorian Stops Filming Due To Omicron Concerns

As per Bespin Bulletin, season 3 of The Mandalorian has delayed its return to filming after the holiday break because of the rising cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Los Angeles.

So rather than risk any members of the cast and crew testing positive for Covid-19, The Mandalorian has instead chosen to pause filming to ensure the safety of its cast and crew.

Even though filming was slated to begin this week, production is currently on standby with no set date decided until now for it to resume. Lead actor Pedro Pascal has resumed shooting for season 3 of the show in between filming for The Last of Us HBO series.

It’s not known how this will impact his commitment to the HBO show.

Is There Trouble In Mandalorian Production?

Such news must be concerning for all, especially regarding the completion of season 3 of the Star Wars show. However, it must be said that the safety of the cast and crew comes before entertainment.

As such, we need to commend production for putting the safety of its crew and cast members before anything else. Also, fans need to keep in mind that The Mandalorian isn’t the only show that has been affected by the surge in Covid-19 Omicron variant cases and the resultant shutdowns.

So Lucasfilm is taking precautions to limit the impact of this new variant on its crew. As such, they are closing when there is still time to protect the cast and crew rather than being forced to shut down due to a rising rate of infection.

How Will This Shutdown Affect Its Presumed Release Date?

As with everything else, there’s no word on how this will affect the release of the show on Disney+ as of yet. Mind you, no official date has been confirmed for season 3 until now.

However, as we said before, The Mandalorian is expected to release at the tail end of 2022 (just like The Book of Boba Fett did in 2021). This means that there’s still time for the production team to complete their filming before post-production begins.

However, there’s one thing that might complicate things, and that’s Pedro Pascal’s commitment to the HBO show The Last of Us. The show is currently filming without him.

It’s possible that part of the reason for the delay could be a result of reworking the filming schedule to prioritize Pascal’s scenes and ensure that he can go back to filming the HBO show without any issues.

You can check out the first two seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+.

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