For the first time in nearly seven years, moviegoers will return to the galaxy far, far away in theaters when The Mandalorian & Grogu arrives. With Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his wee charge back in the spotlight, Nerdist was invited to Discover the Bounty: A Mando Monday Experience, at a secret location in Los Angeles. Before we were treated to a first look at several new Mandalorian & Grogu products, we got to see where the magic happens, on one of the sets used both in The Mandalorian Disney+ series, as well as the upcoming film. But we also got an exclusive tour of where Lucasfilm stores many Mandoverse props, miniatures, and creatures, in a room that made our nerdy Star Wars minds explode like a Death Star with an exposed thermal exhaust port.
First, we got to witness several animatronics in motion, including Martin Scorsese’s Ardennian shopkeeper character, several Anzellans (Babu Frik’s race), and, of course, Grogu himself. The Ardennian shopkeeper was asleep and snoring in his vending stand, while Grogu was busy doing cute Grogu things. We got to witness all of his puppeteers controlling him via computer, and it was pretty fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, this is the one part of the tour we couldn’t film or record. But it was amazing to watch so many practical puppets brought to life the old-school way, with 21st-century know-how.
Next, we were taken to a room serving as a set for both The Mandalorian and The Mandalorian & Grogu. This was the New Republic’s Adelphi Base. Lucasfilm built the set into a converted hangar that once belonged to Howard Hughes. According to our guides, Hughes constructed parts of his infamous Spruce Goose plane here. It looks exactly as you might remember it from the season three finale of The Mandalorian, and it’s where we saw Sigourney Weaver’s character give Mando his assignment in the movie trailer.
It was slightly surreal to walk into a pure Star Wars location, knowing the real world is just outside the door. Just as in the series, the base has a bar, where they treated us to some Jabba Juice. Atop the bar were many fallen Stormtrooper helmets from the Galactic Civil War. And there was even an Imperial probe droid head. We half expected Zeb from Star Wars Rebels to walk through the blast doors. But as cool as this was, it was just the tip of the Hoth-sized iceberg.
Soon after, we entered The Mandalorian & Grogu production offices, where several items from the film were on display. We noticed a maquette of Rotta the Hutt, as well as one of Mando flying a converted Battle Droid platform. Other props on display in the office included a gold statue of Greef Karga, tons of blasters, and Ahsoka’s headpiece. Several pieces of concept art from the film were adorning the walls as well. As we entered the back room, many stop-motion models created by the great Phil Tippett were behind glass. Not to mention, dozens of handcrafted weapons of all kinds.
But the pièce de résistance of the entire event was access to the area Lucasfilm kept a metric ton of props, costumes, droids, and more. Even Mando’s full-size Naboo N-1 Starfighter. All kinds of elements from the Mandoverse shows were here. This includes all three seasons of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew. To say our jaws dropped upon entering the room is an understatement.
Everywhere we looked, there was a screen-used Star Wars artifact, a helmet, a starship model, and yes, Grogu himself. Well, one of them, anyway. Even the Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan and heroic droid IG-11 were among the treasures here. A tauntaun hid up in the rafters, and Max Rebo on his keyboards too. If it was on screen in a recent Disney+ Star Wars series, there’s a good chance it was somewhere in this room.
Finally, we got to a preview of several Mandalorian & Grogu product tie-ins, from LEGO, Hasbro, Funko, Bath & Body Works, RSVLTS, Sideshow Collectibles, and many more. This summer, Din Djarin’s helmet and Grogu’s adorable face will adorn just about everything. Yes, there’s even Grogu-scented “Force Flow” body spray. Even though it’s been three years since The Mandalorian dropped its last episode, this behind-the-scenes adventure reminded us that our love for the galaxy’s most lovable father-son bounty-hunting duo hasn’t waned. We’re all ready to hop on board the Razor Crest for one more quest.
The Mandalorian & Grogu lands in theaters on May 22.