Would it surprise you to learn that Werner Herzog, prolific Austrian filmmaker and everyone’s favorite kooky imaginary uncle, has never seen a Star Wars movie? Oh, to be a blissfully naive simpleton who would be surprised by such uncomplicated pleasures. Though it’s hardly shocking, Uncle Herzog has admitted to being the one human person in the world who has yet to behold a Star Wars film—which makes his praise for The Mandalorian, the upcoming Star Wars universe series from Jon Favreau (coming soon to a Disney+ near you!), completely pure:
Speaking with the Associated Press, Uncle Herzog called Favreau’s series—in which he plays a mysterious villain, but of course—a “phenomenal achievement.” While some may feel that Uncle Herzog, who has never seen a Star War, is hardly the best judge of Star Wars franchise quality, I think it actually lends more legitimacy to his praise. The filmmaker is not completely ignorant to the cultural significance of Star Wars, however. “I’ve seen some trailers, I’ve seen some excerpts here and there,” he says. “I know about the whole franchise and about the toys for the kids.” Like a good uncle, Werner Herzog knows what the kids these days are into.
Uncle Herzog went on to explain how he got involved in the series, and his anecdote is about as delightfully banal as you’d expect:
I was invited by Jon Favreau, who started this whole series, to act. I looked at the screenplays, and I had the feeling, although I know very little about ‘Star Wars,’ I had the feeling that yes, I could do it. It’s a character in whom you cannot trust. And I said, ‘Yes, I can do that.’
Another component of the series that appealed to Uncle Herzog was Favreau’s realistic approach to filming, apparently: “It was filmed, not like all the other Star Wars or other big event films…As an actor, you see the entire planet, you see the landscape, you see the formation…It’s not green screen and artificiality. It brings movie-making back where it should be.” You heard Uncle Herzog, folks. The Mandalorian is going to save cinema from itself.