The Mandalorian May Lose Pedro Pascal, Fears Lucasfilm
Pedro Pascal is set to star in another major series that has LucasFilm worried he decides to move on from the studio sooner than later.
This article is more than 2 years old
Pedro Pascal has become a major star within the Star Wars universe and for the Disney studio as a whole. It’s a surprising turn for the actor who spends most of his time hidden behind a mask on screen. But the Mandalorian has been so good because of what Pascal is able to do without the use of facial expressions and whatnot. Some would see this as easier, it isn’t. So it’s no wonder the studio wants to make sure he’s around for a long time. But according to insider Daniel Richtman, there’s growing concern about Pascal jumping ship if his next series is a hit.
Pedro Pascal is set to co-star in The Last of Us series on HBO. It’s an adaptation of the incredibly popular video game of the same name. Pascal will play Joel who, along with Elle (Bella Ramsey) is set on a trek across a post-apocalyptic and devastated United States. Much like his current role, he’s tasked with keeping the child safe in this hellscape of a place. A mutated fungus has gripped a lot of humanity, turning people into cannibals and laying waste to the world. The name refers to the idea that there are very humans left on Earth and these are two of them. It’s a highly-anticipated show based on the popularity of the game and HBO’s track record with adapting these kinds of big-name, big-budget series.
So sure, LucasFilm probably has a little reason for concern when it comes to Pedro Pascal moving on from his role in The Mandalorian someday. That would make them incentivized to lock him up for the considerable future within the Star Wars franchise to ensure he’s part of that universe for years to come.
There already had been some rumors that Pedro Pascal was headed for a big payday from Disney. There weren’t exact numbers that had been reported, but when Gina Carano was fired from The Mandalorian it was speculated she earned anywhere between $25,000 and $50,000 per episode. Simple math would put Pascal way above that just for the first two seasons and if the studio was looking to lock in a long-term deal then we are talking huge bucks for the third season and beyond.
The Last of Us was just recently greenlit by HBO so there’s still quite a bit of time before it hits streaming. It’s not going to become a hit tomorrow and The Mandalorian’s third season, sometime in the beginning of 2022, would likely be here first. But no studio wants to contend with another for the services of a major star and that could be the situation both groups are staring at sooner than later. For Pedro Pascal it’s all gravy though. From his work in the Star Wars universe, he’s proven more than capable of leading a hit series. Maybe he’ll now make it two.
While we wait for the first season of one show and the third of another, Pedro Pascal will next be in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nic Cage, Tiffany Haddish, and Neil Patrick Harris about a billionaire birthday party gone completely wrong. And then there’s Tropico with Morena Baccarin and Willem Dafoe. So the actor is plenty busy and set to get busier. It could be soon that two studios are fighting to lock him up long term.
