After three seasons of entertaining Star Wars fans who have a Disney+ subscription, Din Djarin and Grogu are gearing up to bring their talents and charm to the big screen. The Mandalorian & Grogu is set for a 2026 release on the upcoming Star Wars movies slate, and yesterday brought word that Jeremy Allen White will reportedly voice Rotta the Hutt in the flick. Now a new casting has been reported, and it has me wondering if a major Ahsoka character will also take part in this tale from a galaxy far, far away.
An Imperial Warlord Will Return In The Mandalorian & Grogu
According to Deadline, Jonny Coyne is set to reprise the Imperial warlord he previously played in The Mandalorian Season 3 episode “Chapter 23: The Spies” for The Mandalorian & Grogu. This unnamed commander was a member of the Shadow Council, a group of high-ranking Imperial officers who were working to secretly rebuild the Empire in the early years of the New Republic era. Other notable attendees during the meeting included Moff Gideon, Commandant Brendan Hue (father of The First Order’s Armitage Hux), and Captain Gilad Pellaeon, who’s closely tied with Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Coyne, whose other credits include 11.22.63 and The Blacklist, is the third new actor to join The Mandalorian & Grogu following the aforementioned Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver, whose role remain unknown. Pedro Pascal will, of course, reprise the title Mandalorian in what will be the 13th of the Star Wars movies in order. Behind the scenes, The Mandalorian executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni wrote the movie’s script, and the former, who created the series, is also directing.
Will Thrawn Also Appear In The Mandalorian & Grogu?
No disrespect to Jonny Coyne, but hearing that this particular Imperial warlord is in The Mandalorian & Grogu doesn’t get me any more excited for the movie than I already am. But now I’m wondering, what if his inclusion means other members of the Shadow Council will be back for the movie? And if that’s the case, what if there’s a figure who will unite these Imperial officers following Moff Gideon’s (supposed) demise. To put it simply, I’m speculating that Lars Mikkelsen might reprise Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Mandalorian & Grogu.
After first voicing the character in Star Wars Rebels, Mikkelsen played Thrawn in live-action for Ahsoka Season 1, where it was revealed he’d spent years stranded on Peridea, a planet located in a different galaxy. By the end of the season, Thrawn made it back to the main Star Wars galaxy with the Great Mothers in tow, and from there they went to Dathomir, the Nightsister homeworld. While it would be nice if one of things we know about Ahsoka Season 2 is if Thrawn will be back for the next batch of episodes, so far, there hasn’t been any mention of him.
That’s not to say he and Ahsoka Tano won’t cross paths again, but with Thrawn back in familiar territory, it’s easy enough to envision him uniting these Imperial factions to focus on Project Necromancer and any new plans he formulates. This would certainly be a big enough threat for Din Djarin, Grogu and their allies to deal combat. Plus, this could help lay the groundwork for the New Republic movie that Dave Filoni is helming that will tie together the storylines from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett and Skeleton Crew.
I’m just spitballing here, but if Thrawn does end up appearing in The Mandalorian & Grogu, we’ll let you know. The movie, which wrapped filming earlier this month, is due out on May 22, 2026.
