If you’ve been watching The Mandalorian, you’ll have no doubt been acquainted with the commanding presence of Greef Karga, the leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild played by none other than Carl Weathers. An ally-turned-enemy-turned-ally-again of Mando himself, Karga played a significant role throughout the first season and will – SPOILER WARNING – also likely be back in the show’s future, having survived the finale. But it wasn’t always going to be that way, as revealed in a recent episode of behind-the-scenes making-of series Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.
Speaking in a roundtable interview, showrunner Jon Favreau revealed that Greef Karga was originally set for the chop in the first half of the season – and that was he was initially envisioned as an alien. “Carl wasn’t supposed to be in the whole show,” Favreau confirmed. “Carl was in Episode One and then got knocked off in Episode Three. He was gonna be in full prosthetics, as a different alien race, and then we switched it up. It was a favour. I said, ‘Come in and do this one thing.’ He says, ‘Fine, I don’t really act much more, but fine.’ Carl’s supposed to come in, he’s going to be in 101 and then 103, he gets shot, he’s out.”
It seems Weathers’ presence had a significant role in shaping the character, both his lifespan and eventual appearance. “He came in and talked and we were like, ‘How can we cover his face up in prosthetics?’” recalls writer-director Dave Filoni. Favreau continues: “The first thing was, he can’t be an alien. How you gonna cover that [face]? They did a drawing with Carl with the make-up on, and I said to Carl, ‘We can’t cover you up.’ He’s like, ‘I figured as much.’”
If it’s likely that Weathers will pop up again as Greef Karga in the upcoming Season 2 of The Mandalorian, he’s also become even more involved in the show’s upcoming run – he’s directed an episode this time, along with the likes of Robert Rodriguez, Peyton Reed, Favreau himself, and returning director Rick Famuyiwa. The second season is expected to begin in October, with Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirming that the episodes won’t be delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic.