Taika Waititi To Voice Classic 'Star Wars' Character In 'The Mandalorian'

The Mandalorian has an impressive roster of directors helming episodes of the Disney+ streaming show, including Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi. But Waititi may be doing more than getting behind the camera. A new behind-the-scenes photo from The Mandalorian executive producer Jon Favreau shows Waititi behind the mic to voice a classic Star Wars character.

Since Disney announced that Jon Favreau would be overseeing The Mandalorian for Disney+, the Iron Man director has been continually teasing cryptic images from the production, driving fans wild with speculation over a mere prop and giving us a clearer picture of what this highly anticipated series will be like. The latest image from his Instagram account hands out even more details, showing Waititi standing behind the mic in front of a screen of the droid IG-88.

At first glance, it appears that Waititi is just doing the job he was hired for and directing the episode. But reports suggest that Waititi will be playing the voice of the classic Star Wars character.

Favreau first teased IG-88's appearance on The Mandalorian last Christmas, but it seems he'll play a large part in the series. The bounty hunter was first introduced in The Empire Strikes Back and became a prominent figure in the now-retconned Expanded Universe. According to StarWars.com, IG-88 is "a battered chrome war droid who has become a bounty hunter, and answered Darth Vader's call to capture the Millennium Falcon during the events surrounding the Battle of Hoth." He's more recently appeared in Kieron Gillan's Darth Vader comic series, but it seems that Favreau and co. are now bringing IG-88 back into the Star Wars universe proper.

This wouldn't be Waititi's first time voicing a character in a project that he's directed — he famously played Korg in Thor: Ragnarok, a bit part that turned into a fan-favorite scene-stealer, allowing the director to exercise his comedy acting chops that he's shown in movies like What We Do In the Shadows. Favreau may be open to his directors taking on roles on camera, since he came from the acting world as well.

The Mandalorian debuts on Disney+ sometime in 2019.