Jon Favreau Compares ‘Mandalorian & Grogu’ to ‘The French Connection’

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Fans are eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, the first Star Wars film in five years, since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Though it’s shaping up to be one of the shortest Star Wars movies ever made, it will continue the story of Din Djarin and Grogu, building on what viewers have seen over three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+. In this new adventure, they’ll team up with the New Republic to protect the legacy of the Rebellion, but this will bring them into conflict with dangerous enemies like the Hutt clan and other powerful villains throughout the galaxy.

As the twelfth Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu naturally draws on elements from previous movies, both in how it looks and the ideas it explores. And, according to a recent behind-the-scenes look, its inspiration goes beyond just the Star Wars universe itself.

While visiting the set of The Mandalorian and Grogu, MovieWeb learned about the filmmaking process from director Jon Favreau. He revealed that a 1970s crime thriller was one of his inspirations, noting that Star Wars creator George Lucas frequently drew inspiration from other filmmakers.

Watching the film repeatedly, I’ve noticed many small details and moments that subtly reference other movies. For example, one chase sequence was definitely inspired by ‘The French Connection.’ Like George Lucas used to do, we incorporated footage from older films – specifically, war movies like ‘The Battle of Britain’ – to create a similar effect. Interestingly, the fact that we couldn’t easily create everything from scratch actually allowed us to use this technique, cutting in existing footage to see how it felt and how it worked.

Favreau explained that filmmakers have always drawn inspiration from each other’s visual styles. In Hollywood, copying isn’t just a compliment—it’s a way of building on existing techniques and ensuring audiences understand the story being told.

When you creatively combine elements from different films – what’s sometimes called ‘kitbashing’ – you’re building on a history of filmmaking, but still aiming for something new. Star Wars does this, taking inspiration from other movies. We’d often discuss specific shots or lighting styles, but the final result never felt like a copy or a simple tribute. Instead, these influences were blended so thoroughly that they became a creative goal – we wanted the overall feeling to be inspired by classic cinema, but ultimately unique.

Kitbashing is a technique where model parts from different kits are combined to build new, detailed models. It’s often used in filmmaking to create concept designs for special effects, and was notably used in the original Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. This practice continues in the latest installment, and while the specific references to past films are being kept secret, fans can expect to spot familiar elements as the Star Wars saga moves forward.

The Mandalorian and Grogu debuts in theaters on May 22, 2026.

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2026-04-18 17:20