‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’: Ludwig Göransson on How ‘American Gladiators’ Inspired the Pit Fight Scene and Why ‘Grogu’s World’ Theme Proved Challenging

May 23, 2026 11:30am PT ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’: Ludwig Göransson on How ‘American Gladiators’ Inspired the Pit Fight Scene and Why ‘Grogu’s World’ Theme Proved Challenging

By Jazz Tangcay

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Jazz Tangcay

Artisans Editor

@jazzt

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©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Back in 2019, when writer and director Jon Favreau asked composer Ludwig Göransson to score “The Mandalorian” TV series for Disney+, Göransson used new tools and introduced a new sound to the “Star Wars” universe. That distinct and lonely bass recorder became the theme for the helmet-wearing bounty hunter, while his sidekick Grogu had a four-note motif.

Building on his earlier work, Göransson’s score commands “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and he doesn’t hold back, using a 70-piece orchestra to weave in elements from the film’s sound design to go big and deliver an epic-cinematic score.

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