STAR WARS: Inside the Doodling Mind of Dave Filoni

One thing is certain: if Dave Filoni ever decides to stop producing Star Wars, he’ll have no problem making a living selling his doodles. [Writer’s Note to Dave Filoni: PLEASE DO NOT EVER STOP PRODUCING STAR WARS.] The man responsible for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels is also an astonishingly talented artist. Jon Favreau, producer of The Mandalorian, recently shared an amazing piece of Filoni’s off-the-cuff talent via Instagram:

I mean seriously, what’s cooler than a guy doodling Gandalf and Yoda just because, you know, he can? Actually, there is something cooler. When it comes to Dave Filoni, that “something” is the incredibly creative mind that allows him to do so. That creativity has spawned some of the greatest storytelling of the entire Star Wars saga. Dave’s doodles, however, often give us a glimpse into that mind we wouldn’t otherwise see on film. (Some of his artwork is sure to be on display in the upcoming Art of Star Wars Rebels book, due out in October.)

The Doodles of Dave Filoni

Seldom do writers and producers let us in on their creative process. Filoni, on the other hand, has been a proverbial open book when it comes to creating so much of the Star Wars universe. He does so through his artwork, doodles like the one pictured above. Last year he shared some of his sketches from The Clone Wars, including never-before-seen images for a planned Boba Fett and Cad Bane storyline.

The detail that goes into these “sketches” puts many so-called artists to shame. To Dave Filoni, however, creating so much from his own imagination is second nature. And it’s that talent that has opened Star Wars up to so many.

As we know, Dave Filoni is working on The Mandalorian with Favreau. (He’s doodled that, too.) Filoni even directed the pilot episode, fulfilling the long-time wish of countless Star Wars fans. The Last Jedi left many questioning the decision to turn Star Wars storytelling over to Rian Johnson as opposed to someone like Filoni. Even before that, though, fans vocally expressed the desire for the award-winning writer, producer and director to make the jump from animation to live-action. We’ll finally get to see if his talent does indeed translate to live-action when The Mandalorian debuts on Disney+ later this year.

Doodles such as the one he made for Favreau are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is Filoni’s creative mind. I could spend an afternoon pouring over his artwork, just as I could re-watching Clone Wars or Rebels. There’s so much to learn with every scribble, and each one reminds us what a gift to Star Wars Dave Filoni truly is.