George Lucas may not have any creative control over the Star Wars franchise any longer having sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, but that doesn’t stop the filmmakers involved in its future from tapping him up for guidance.

Since 2012, Disney has delivered four films (The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, Solo), and a number of animated TV spin-offs, but next off the production line is The Mandalorian, a live action series which debuts on Disney+ later this year.

Its writer and creator Jon Favreau says he went straight to the source to ensure his 8-part series, set after the events of 1983’s Return of the Jedi, remained true to the heart and spirit of Lucas’ original vision.

“We had a long talk with each other,” Favreau told GQ Middle East while promoting his new film The Lion King. “One thing [George Lucas] said to me was, ’remember, Jon, the real audience for all stories and all myths is the kids that are coming of age’, because he’s really a Joseph Campbell adherent.”

Writer/executive producer Jon Favreau, Director/executive producer Dave Filoni, Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Gina Carano (Cara Dune) and Carl Weathers (Greef) onstage during "The Mandalorian" panel at the Star Wars Celebration. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/WireImage for Disney) More

Campbell was a renowned literary mythologist, who Lucas would later call “my Yoda” when they became friends later in life. The Star Wars creator openly credits Campbell’s book The Hero With a Thousand Faces with its theory of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ playing heavily into his filmmaking.

Read more: Second series of The Mandalorian in the works

“We enjoy the stories as adults, but really, storytelling is about imparting the wisdom of the previous generations on to the children who are becoming adults, and giving them a context for how to behave and how to learn the lessons of the past without making the mistakes on their own,” adds Favreau.

(L-R) Billy Dee Williams, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill attend the pre-opening launch of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland. (Photo by Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images) More

“That’s the hope, that you can teach them how to avoid all the hardship but garner all the wisdom.”

Little is known about the plot of The Mandalorian so far - starring Pedro Pascal in the title role - but Favreau has previously stated that it will explore the dark underbelly of the Star Wars universe following the fall of Emperor Palpatine.

“It’s after Return of the Jedi, so the Empire is gone and all hell is breaking loose in the Outer Rim. And it’s about the scum and villainy, that once you take out the rule of law, what happens? Chaos takes over and you have all of these unseemly characters,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Nearly all of the filmmakers entrusted with Star Wars on screen since its sale to Disney have turned to Lucas for counsel.

Rey’s relationship with Luke Skywalker in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi came from Lucas’ original concept for Episode’s VII-IX, while The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams says the concluding chapter of the Skywalker saga will address ideas that came from conversations with Lucas.

Executive producer Kathleen Kennedy, Director/executive producer Dave Filoni, Carl Weathers (Greef), Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Director/executive producer Dave Filoni attend "The Mandalorian" panel at the Star Wars Celebration. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/WireImage for Disney) More

Story continues