News that Christopher Lloyd is due to join The Mandalorian has delighted sci-fi fans.
On Friday (18 March), it was announced that Lloyd – best known for his role as Dr Emmett Brown in Back to the Future – has joined the cast of the hit Star Wars spin-off series.
The Mandalorian – which also stars Pedro Pascal and Giancarlo Esposito – is currently filming its third season in Southern California.
Details surrounding Lloyd’s character have not been disclosed, but the role has been described as “guest-starring in nature”.
Beyond the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), Lloyd played the villainous Klingon Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984.
Sci-fans have shared their excitement to the casting news on Twitter.
“I’m so happy about this news it merges my two favourite franchises,” wrote one person.
Another added: “I hope Christopher Lloyd’s character in The Mandalorian is a villain like Kruge in Star Trek III and note comedic like Doc Brown in Back to the Future.
“I’ve seen him play villains in movies and TV and he’s really good at it.”
Someone else wrote: “Okay. Maybe this year isn’t a *total* waste.”
“With the inclusion of Christopher Lloyd it looks like The Mandalorian just got a hell of a lot better,” wrote one fan. “Everything he is involved in I am 100 per cent on board that man is an absolute legend.”
The 83-year-old has won multiple Emmy awards, including for the sitcom Taxi, which ran from 1978 to 1983.
He recently starred opposite Bob Odenkirk in the 2021 action film Nobody, and alongside Ben Affleck in The Tender Bar that same year.
This is not the first time that The Mandalorian has brought on an actor from a legendary franchise.The Terminator star Michael Biehn made a memorable cameo in season two, which was released in 2020.
A release date for season three of The Mandalorian is yet to be announced.