Star Wars blasts back
The Star Wars movie series returns in 2026 with The Mandalorian & Grogu, the first new entry in the popular sci-fi series since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.
There was a time when Disney and Lucasfilm were releasing new Star Wars movies at a regular cadence. But the movie series went on hiatus after the Rise of Skywalker as Lucasfilm focused on Star Wars TV shows to drive popularity to Disney+.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is poised to kickstart a new run of Star Wars movies. Jon Favreau, who created the Mandalorian TV series, is directing the film, while the TV series has no ending in sight.
The Mandalorian & Grogu kicks off a new series of Star Wars movies. Daisy Ridley is coming back as Rey in an untitled film from Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (the first Star Wars movie to be directed by a woman) and then films from directors James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Taika Waititi. Deadpool director Shawn Levy is also signed on to direct a Star Wars movie, while The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson claims his film is still happening. In Hollywood, anything can happen, so we'll see how it all shakes out.
But for now, The Mandalorian & Grogu is confirmed to be the next big Star Wars movie release. Keep reading to find out everything we know about the film.
What is The Mandalorian & Grogu about?
Plot details remain a mystery for The Mandalorian & Grogu, but Favreau said at D23 in August 2024 that the film will deliver an "all-new adventure following these two characters."
The Mandalorian TV show tells the story of a lone mercenary played by Pedro Pascal and his very cute sidekick, Grogu, who is of the same species as the legendary Star Wars character Yoda. He's been affectionately referred to by fans as Baby Yoda. The pair become close on their intergalactic journeys in a story that takes place after the fall of the Galactic Empire from Return of the Jedi.
"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau said about the movie. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, "Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen."
Who's going to be in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Weirdly, when The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced, Pascal's involvement was not mentioned. It wasn't until D23 in August 2024 that Disney formally announced that Pedro Pascal would be back in the lead role. Obviously, he was likely to always return.
Sigourney Weaver confirmed her involvement in the movie, telling Deadline that it's her next project and that she was excited to meet Grogu the other day on set. There is no word yet on who Weaver might play in The Mandalorian & Grogu, however.
Who else might be in The Mandalorian & Grogu? We don't know. But all of this information should materialize in relatively short order, though, as filming is underway.
Is there a trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu?
The first footage of The Mandalorian & Grogu screened at D23 in August, though it was not published online and has not leaked.
GameSpot was in attendance where the footage was shown. Lucasfilm started with a flashback to the first meeting of Pascal's Din Djarin and Grogu from the first episode of The Mandalorian. From there, we saw a glimpse of their further adventures, which include going up against an AT-AT.
Grogu still leaves the shooting to his daddy, but they also spend some quiet time together to share some soup. Zeb from Star Wars Rebels briefly shows up as well. Additionally, Grogu was seen on a ship alongside Babu Fick's species, and Snowtroopers also made an appearance.
Here's to hoping an official trailer is on the way soon.
Who's directing The Mandalorian & Grogu?
Jon Favreau, who created The Mandalorian TV series, is coming back to direct and produce The Mandalorian & Grogu. That's likely good news for fans who have enjoyed Favreau's creative direction.
When is The Mandalorian & Grogu coming out?
The Mandalorian & Grogu has a release date of May 22, 2026. This means the film opens for the Memorial Day long weekend in the US.
What about The Mandalorian TV show?
Before The Mandalorian Season 3 even debuted back in early 2023, Favreau confirmed that Season 4 was already written.
"Season 4, yeah I've written it already," Favreau said in an interview. "We have to know where we're going to tell a fully formed story. We had mapped it out, Dave [Filoni] and I, and slowly you start to write each episode. I was writing it during post-production. All of it has to feel like a continuation and one full story."
Favreau also stated that there is no finale that he's building towards for The Mandalorian--instead, he hopes the show just keeps going and going.
"I love for these stories to go on and on. And so these characters potentially could be with us for a while, and I really love telling stories in their voice, and I love the way the adventures unfold and I'm looking forward to doing much more," he said.
Just because Favreau wants to make more of The Mandalorian TV show doesn't necessarily mean that he'll get to, though. On a long enough timeline, everything always ends.
A Mandalorian video game?
It's been reported that Star Wars: Jedi developer Respawn was at one point making a Mandalorian video game--people got pretty excited when this news emerged. The game was never announced, however, and it appears the title may have been sadly canceled.
