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Ludwig Göransson on “The Mandalorian” and How “American Gladiators” Inspired a Pit Fight Scene

Composer Ludwig Göransson, who created the iconic bass recorder theme for Grogu, discusses his scoring process for "The Mandalorian" TV series, including the challenges of "Grogu's World" and the surprising inspiration behind a pit fight sc

Variety Music·May 23, 2026·via Variety Music

Ludwig Göransson on “The Mandalorian” and How “American Gladiators” Inspired a Pit Fight Scene

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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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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.