For the last five years Star Wars, the former king of the box office, has released no movies in theaters. Star Wars has remained a popular franchise thanks to numerous Disney+ series, but the plan for upcoming Star Wars movies has been largely a mystery. However, we now know that Star Wars is headed back to theaters thanks to one of those successful Disney+ series.
The Mandalorian and Grogu are getting a movie. The recent D23 event didn't reveal a great deal about the new film, other than the fact that it was in production. But we've now heard the principal photography on The Mandalorian & Grogu has been completed, making it all but certain that we will finally get a new Star Wars movie on the big screen after all these years.
(SPOILER ALERT: This article contains specific details about events from The Mandalorian series, so be warned if you're not caught up on the Disney+ show!)
What Is The Mandalorian & Grogu Release Date?
When The Mandalorian & Grogu was first announced, only a production start date of “2024” was given. No release date was specifically given, but all indications were that the Mando movie was leapfrogging all the other upcoming Star Wars movies, and was going to be the first Star Wars film on the big screen since The Rise of Skywalker.
Sure enough, that has now been confirmed. In April 2024 The Mandalorian & Grogu was given an official release date of May 22, 2026, making it the first of two Star Wars films currently planned for that year.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Cast
If there was one thing more surprising than the announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu as a film, it was the fact that almost nothing was said about the movie. This includes information that the title itself would seem to confirm. At this moment not a single cast member of the movie has been revealed, including The Mandalorian himself.
We can’t say with certainty that Pedro Pascal will appear in the movie. At the same time, it seems highly unlikely that we won’t see him or at the very least hear his voice. Having said that The Mandalorian & Grogu is filming around the same time as Fantastic Four so it actually appears unlikely Pascal will be the one under the Mandalorian helmet, at least most of the time.
Who else may be part of The Mandalorian & Grogu cast is another question. Seeing other characters from The Mandalorian franchise seems likely, but nothing has been announced. IN May 2024 it was reported Sigourney Weaver was in talks to appear, but it's unclear if she actually signed on, or what role she might play. Eman Esfandi, who played Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka has denied he'll appear in the film. However, a sizzle reel shown at D23 showed that another Star Wars: Rebels character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, will appear.
Jon Favreau Will Direct The New Movie
While little is known about who will appear in front of the camera, more is known about who will be running things behind the camera. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy will produce the film. It’s also been confirmed that Favreau will direct the new movie.
Surprisingly, this will only be Favreau’s second time directing any Mandalorian-related content. While he has written or co-written nearly every episode of the series, he’s only directed a single episode. Favreau and Dave Filoni are currently sharing writing credits for the film.
What The Mandalorian & Grogu May Be About
With The Mandalorian & Grogu going into production this year we’re to believe the movie will be the next chapter of this story. Therefore, trying to figure out what the movie will be about, we take a look at where Season 3 of The Mandalorian left the title characters. In The Mandalorian Season 3 ending we saw Din Djardin formally adopt Grogu, and the newly christened Din Grogu became his adoptive father’s apprentice. We also saw the pair put down roots in a home on the planet Nevarro.
With most previous plot threads seemingly resolved, the door is open to a story going in just about any direction. One assumes the story will begin where we left off. Perhaps something will happen on Nevarro that Mando and Grogu will get involved in. Or perhaps the two will be back to being bounty hunters, and that’s how the story gets rolling. Of course, it could be something much bigger.
Who The Mandalorian & Grogu Villain Could Be
Every good Star Wars movie needs a villain, and there are a couple of high-potential options for The Mandalorian & Grogu. One is Grand Admiral Thrawn. His name has been mentioned in The Mandalorian and we finally met him during the first season of Ahsoka. He’s now back in Mando’s galaxy, and we expect he will attempt to resurrect the Empire.
Another possibility is Moff Gideon. While we seemingly saw him die in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, we also saw a room full of clones of him that he was developing, so it’s possible the person we saw die was a clone, or that somewhere there’s a clone that survived and so one way or another Gideon isn't dead. Actor Giancarlo Esposito has said he's more than happy to return as Moff Gideon. Of course, Gideon was a supporter of Thrawn, so it’s possible both could be part of the new movie.
What Does The Movie Mean For Season 4 Of The Mandalorian?
The announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu was a bit of a shock because all focus had been on The Mandalorian Season 4 on Disney+. Jon Favreau had previously stated that Season 4 was already written, and while the announcement of the new movie didn’t say anything about the new season of the show (though it did confirm Season 2 of Ahsoka was coming) we expect that the new season is happening, unless, the new movie is Season 4 of The Mandalorian.
It’s possible that, for whatever reason, the decision was made to transform what was to be Season 4 of The Mandalorian into a theatrical film. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen that with a Disney+ show. The Don Cheadle-led Armor Wars was to be a Disney+ series before the decision was made to make an Armor Wars movie instead. It’s possible that could be what happened here, but until we have confirmation, we’ll assume more Mandalorian on Disney+ is still planned.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Are Still Expected To Appear In Dave Filoni’s Planned Movie
While The Mandalorian & Grogu was a surprise announcement when it came, we were expecting to see the two title characters on the big screen at some point. At the last Star Wars celebration it was revealed that Dave Filoni would direct a theatrical Star Wars movie that would act as a blowout finale to the interconnected Star Wars series we’ve seen, including The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and the new Skeleton Crew, among possibly more. The announcement of the new movie confirmed that Dave Filoni’s movie is still one of those planned for the future, so this film is not that movie.
With The Mandalorian & Grogu less than two years away, there's still a lot we don't know about the next Star Wars movie. But we'll keep updating you as we learn more.
