The success of recent non-movie Star Wars media like The Mandalorian on Disney+ has led many fans of the franchise to hope that studios like BioWare might get another shot at creating story-driven Star Wars games like Knights of the Old Republic. However, The Mandalorian also builds a lot of hype for a game which has nothing to do with Star Wars at all: Far Cry 6.
Far Cry is a series known for its central bad guys, a trend that started with Michael Mando’s iconic portrayal of Vaas in Far Cry 3. The Mandalorian shows off one of Far Cry 6’s star in a brilliant villainous performance which will likely draw people to Ubisoft’s upcoming game.
Moff Gideon
Giancarlo Esposito rose to fame as a fantastic villainous actor playing Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, but his recent role as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian has recemented his credentials as a go-to bad guy for top-tier storytelling. Moff Gideon is a the leader of one of the remnants of the Galactic Empire shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi.
Terrifyingly cool, calm, and collected, he is merciless in his hunt for Grogu, AKA the Child, even killing his own troops. Though composed, the character has a playful sense of sadism, perhaps best shown when he teasingly shows Grogu the Darksaber.
Far Cry’s stories are propelled by strong character actors as their villains, and Giancarlo Esposito will be taking up the mantle in Far Cry 6 as Anton Castillo, the dictatorial leader of Yara, a fictional Caribbean island. Fans already had good reason to be excited for Esposito’s inclusion in the game, but The Mandalorian gives them some specific reasons to be excited for his performance in the context of the next game's story.
Anton Castillo
Moff Gideon’s relationship with Grogu gives Esposito a chance to show his range as a villain, and seeing such a terrifying performance in a scene with a child character only elevates his villainy. Far Cry 6 will also see him costar with a younger character, his son and heir Diego Castillo. In the Far Cry 6 cinematic trailer, Anton gives his son a grenade before pulling the pin and forcing him to hold down the handle as he delivers a chilling monologue on his world view.
Both The Mandalorian and Far Cry 6 focus on father-child relationships, with Grogu as Mando’s adoptive child and Diego as Anton’s reluctant successor. In both cases, Giancarlo Esposito shows that he is excellent at playing twisted versions of father figures–he demonstrates the Darksaber to Grogu like a playful but strict parent, making the fact that he wants the Child's blood all the more disturbing. Anton's lesson to Diego is similarly tense, and its harshness is likely due to the death of Anton Castillo’s father at the hands of a revolution early in his life.
Both Anton and Moff Gideon are more than willing to put central child characters at risk to gain what they want. While Gustavo Fring was a fantastic character, this helps bring Giancarlo Esposito’s villainous performance to a whole new level of tension.
There have been four main Far Cry games since Vaas’ debut in Far Cry 3, and the series has garnered criticism for its repetitive formula. Esposito’s performance as Anton won’t just have to be strong, it will have to be unique enough to draw attention back to the franchise. After the second season of The Mandalorian, however, many fans will be confident that Ubisoft has chosen the right actor to do just that.
Far Cry 6 is planned to release in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.