After recent reports suggested the presence of familiar bounty hunters in “The Mandalorian” TV series, show creator Jon Favreau has confirmed that he will be featuring at least one character from “Empire Strikes Back.” The producer made the announcement online and also shared a picture of the character.

The following article contains spoilers from the upcoming live-action “Star Wars” TV series, “The Mandalorian.”

“The Mandalorian” is a story about a lone warrior who operates outside the influence of the New Republic. The TV series is set at a time when the Empire has fallen, and the First Order is yet to rise. A picture posted on Instagram by Favreau shows the assassin droid IG-88, which is a character from “The Empire Strikes Back.”

IG-88 was among the bounty hunters that Darth Vader summoned in “Empire Strikes Back” in order to track down the Millennium Falcon. The picture that Favreau shared online shows the metallic body of the droid against a green screen.

The screentime of IG-88 in “The Mandalorian” is expected to be a lot longer than it was in “Empire Strikes Back.” A previous report by Making Star Wars suggested that some of the scenes that have been filmed with this character include close-up shots, action sequences involving blaster fire and IG-88 riding a seeder.

It remains to be seen which other bounty hunters will appear in the TV series. A Trandoshan bounty hunter was also reportedly spotted on the set. However, it isn’t clear if this lizard-faced alien is Bossak from “Empire Strikes Back” or a new character.

With this being the first live-action “Star Wars” TV series, there may be multiple crossovers of popular characters. Dave Filoni, who is a executive producer of the upcoming show, recently shared a picture of the character Ahsoka Tano on Twitter. While he didn’t explain the post, it is curious that the picture was released around the same time that Favreau shared a picture from “The Mandalorian.”

Will Ahsoka Tano appear in “The Mandalorian”? The character is very popular among the fans and was seen most recently in the “Rebels” TV series. Readers should note that another season of “The Clone Wars” is currently being developed, and the young Jedi is sure to return in that show.

The production of “The Mandalorian” is currently ongoing. A release date is yet to be announced, but the show is expected to premiere sometime in 2019.

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