Star Wars Director Bryce Dallas Howard Speaks Out on Concerns of The Mandalorian’s Power

When it comes to Star Wars: The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, many directors have helmed episodes of the show. However, one fan favorite has been Bryce Dallas Howard, the actor best known for playing Claire Dearing in Jurassic World. Howard helmed “Chapter 4: Sanctuary” and “Chapter 11: The Heiress” of The Mandalorian, and recently directed the fifth episode of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Return of The Mandalorian.” When the latest episode was released on Disney+, fans were quick to suggest Howard should helm her own show or series for the franchise. While Howard’s future with Lucasfilm is currently unclear, she has teased some excitement for the upcoming Ahsoka series. While speaking with Romper, the star also gave her thoughts on how powerful Mando has become after being asked about the character’s “impervious” armor.

“You’re absolutely right,” Howard replied. “He’s very strong, and in Mandalorian culture, they’re trained to be warriors, and so they can do that. But then, that’s where bacta spray comes in as well. Because he doesn’t have a bacta tank like Boba, but bacta spray is helpful. But you are absolutely right… In the Boba Fett season, Mando got sliced by the dark saber, and then his leg was messed up. I was super excited to have that because I wanted to show he gets hurt and then heals from bacta spray.” 

Back when Howard helmed “The Heiress” for The Mandalorian, she talked about directing the live-action debut of Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze, a character Sackhoff voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Digital Spy spoke with Howard after the episode aired, and asked her about bridging the animated shows with the live-action ones.

“I think I would have had it not been for Katee Sackhoff playing Bo-Katan, or if Dave Filoni wasn’t there,” Howard explained. “But because Dave Filoni was there, and Katee had played Bo for a decade – for me, it was basically about ensuring Katee’s vision and Filoni’s vision, along with Jon Favreau’s vision… how can I facilitate that?”

“That was my primary focus, rather than being like, ‘I have a perspective on The Clone Wars, and here’s that perspective.’ There are folks who have spent more time on this and have inhabited these characters in this world,” she continued. “So that was the fun of it for me. It was about getting all the experts in the room together, and being like, ‘I think this is the story you’re telling. Does that sound right?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ That’s more my role.”

The third season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is expected to premiere later this year.