The Mandalorian: New Star Wars TV show casts Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal

The forthcoming Star Wars television show has cast its male lead.

Pedro Pascal, best known for roles in Game of Thrones and Narcos, will front The Mandalorian, which is expected to debut on Disney's high-profile new streaming service.

The new series comes from Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man and The Jungle Book. Set after the fall of the Empire, it'll follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

Episodes will be directed by a multitude of people, including Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard and Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones).

Rumours of Pascal's involvement have been circulating for some time. The actor played Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of HBO series Game of Thrones. His film credits include The Equalizer 2, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and If Beale Street Could Talk, the new film from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins.

This is the first of two planned shows affiliated with Star Wars. Earlier this month, a prequel series based on Rogue One character Cassian Andor was confirmed, with Diego Luna set to return.

The Mandalorian will debut on Disney+ in 2019.