Bryce Dallas Howard Compares Filming ‘The Mandalorian’ To Being On The Holodeck
MixingStar WarsandStar Trekterminology may be a faux pas for most fans, butBryce Dallas Howardhas good reason to do it. TheJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomactress is stepping behind the camera to helm an episode of Disney+’s highly-anticipated upcomingStar WarsseriesThe Mandalorian, which uses groundbreaking technology pioneered by executive producerJon Favreau. It’s technology so out of this world that when Howard stepped ontoThe Mandalorianset, she was instantly reminded of a futuristic sci-fi series beginning with the word “Star.” But don’t worryStar Warsfans, her use of a familiarStar Trekterm only makesThe Mandaloriansound 100% cooler.
In an interview withCollider, Bryce Dallas Howard spoke about her experience as one of the manyhigh-profile directorshelmingThe Mandalorian. The actress has a couple shorts and TV directing credits to her name, butThe Mandalorianis by far her biggest-budget project yet. But rather than being overwhelmed, Howard described her process as “awesome… I had incredible support from Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. And the prep process, the shooting, the post-production, and all of that was so incredibly collaborative and fun and grounded. It was so cool.”
Howard spoke about the envelope-pushing technology that Favreau brought toThe Mandalorianset from his experience onThe Jungle BookandThe Lion King, two visually stunning films heavily reliant on CG. She compared the entire set to seeing a real-life Holodeck fromStar Trek:
“Jon Favreau is known for pushing emerging technology forward. What he did with The Jungle Book, what he’s doing now with The Lion King, it’s really extraordinary what is possible because of these projects. There were so many times when I would be like, ‘Oh, it’s okay, Jon. We can just do it that way.’ And he’s like, ‘I just want to see if it’s possible.’ And then it’s tested, and way more times you find out, ‘Oh, wow, it is possible, and it’s better’. There was specifically something that we shot in what we called ‘The Volume’. And basically you step into it and you’re able to’t tell that you are surrounded by LED screens and you feel like you’re wherever the story is taking place. It’s almost like – this is the wrong term to use, especially for this project – but it’s almost like a Holodeck.”
Howard’s description of the technology used onThe Mandalorianfits what we’ve previously heard about the series, and how the productionblends practical and digital effectsin a manner unlike anyStar Warsproperty before.
In addition to Favreau,The Mandalorianis executive produced byColin Wilson,Kathleen Kennedy,andDave Filoni, and starsPedro Pascal(Game Of Thrones) in the title role.The Mandalorianwill debut when Disney+ launches onNovember 12, 2019.
