If there was any doubt thatStar Warshas become its own nerd Nirvana (a “Nerdvana,” if it pleases), the past couple years should have swiftly dashed those hangups. It’s one thing for a franchise like Marvel to feature constant crossovers with itself, creating an interwoven narrative that requires miles of red string to have any hope of parsing. ButStar Warshas taken pride recently in welcoming real people from all walks of geek culture into its ranks, and the addition of Christopher Lloyd is no exception.
Lloyd, famous for his roles inclassics likeBack to the Futureas well as for being Christopher Lloyd, has just officially joined theStar Warsuniverse. That’s right. Next season of the insanely popular Disney Plus seriesThe Mandalorianapparently has bigger ambitions than simply being the continuation of one of the most popular and beloved series in recent years. This time, the man behind Doc Brown himself is stepping into the ring, and this is still somehow not the weirdest thingStar Warshas ever done.
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The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, revealing that Lloyd will be joiningthe cast ofThe Mandalorianseason 3. According to the report, his role has not yet been disclosed. But he will supposedly appear as a guest star, likely similar to one-off characters like Julia Jones' Omera in the season 1 episode “Sanctuary.” Granted, he’s probably a bit less likely to strike up a budding romance with Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t be welcome.
Lloyd is best known for playing Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown in theBack to the Futurefilms, a role which he has reprised a number of times including in Telltale Games’Back to the Futuregame series. Aside from the eccentric professor, he also has the distinction of traumatizing an entire generation with his performance as Judge Doom inWho Framed Roger Rabbit. On the other end of the spectrum, he endeared himself to another impressively-sized audience as Uncle Fester in the ‘90sAddams Familymovies. All that is just a drop in the bucket of Lloyd’s nearly 50-year career, which stretches all the way back to 1975’sOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestand even includes recent hits like 2021’sNobody.
Even if it’s just a guest role, he’ll easily be an asset toThe Mandalorian, which is currently in the middle of filming its 3rd season. After basically getting half a season’s worth of episodesin the middle ofThe Book of Boba Fett, this particular story has some pretty strong momentum to carry into its upcoming continuation. With Din having just reunited with his little green buddy Grogu after the 50-year-old toddler decided that bond was more important than Jedi training, there are any number of possibilities going forward, and Lloyd’s appearance is sure to make for some real entertainment.
While some might argue thatThe MandalorianandStar Warsin general has leaned too hard on the nostalgia angle lately, it’s difficult to deny that this strategy is getting results. Sure, more original and ambitious ideas likeRian Johnson’s excellentThe Last Jediwould be nice. But there’s always room for some good old-fashioned comfort streaming.
