# The Mandalorian & Grogu

The Mandalorian & Grogu is an upcoming American film directed by Jon Favreau and co-written by Favreau and Dave Filoni. Produced by Lucasfilm and set to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is part of the Star Wars franchise and a continuation of the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin / The Mandalorian, alongside Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, and Jonny Coyne.
Favreau and Filoni had written a fourth season of The Mandalorian by February 2023, but production on the season was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. During this time, Lucasfilm re-evaluated their plans for the franchise and decided to prioritize a Mandalorian film over the fourth season. The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced in January 2024. Filming began in California by August 2024 and was completed by that December.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 22, 2026.

## Cast

* Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin / The Mandalorian: A Mandalorian bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy
* Grogu: The Mandalorian's ward who is an infant of the same species as Yoda. Grogu is created with animatronics and puppetry, augmented with visual effects.
* Sigourney Weaver
* Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt: The son of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt
* Jonny Coyne as an Imperial Warlord: The leader of a faction of Galactic Empire remnants
The character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios from the animated series Star Wars Rebels also appears, as do members of the Anzellan species.

## Production
### Background

Director Jon Favreau pitched an idea he had for a Star Wars television series featuring Mandalorians to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in 2017. Dave Filoni, executive producer on the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020) and Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018), had also been conceiving a Mandalorian-focused series and Kennedy suggested they work together. This led to the creation of The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars television series, which debuted with the launch of the streaming service Disney+ in November 2019. Shortly after the premiere, Walt Disney Studios CCO Alan Horn said a film featuring the series' titular bounty hunter, Din Djarin, could be developed if the series was a success. The next month, Favreau said there was an opportunity to explore the series' characters in Star Wars films or spin-off television series.
The Mandalorian's bounty at the start of the series is "the Child", colloquially known as "Baby Yoda" by viewers, who is an infant of the same species as Yoda. The character is created with animatronics and puppetry, augmented with visual effects. He becomes the Mandalorian's ward, and is revealed in the second season to be named Grogu. In September 2020, The Mandalorian co-star Giancarlo Esposito said the second season lays the groundwork for "the depth and breadth that's going to come in season three and season four". The next month, Favreau and star Pedro Pascal said they were open to the Mandalorian appearing in a Star Wars film, but Favreau was in no rush to do this. Favreau began writing the fourth season by late May 2022, and completed the scripts with Filoni by February 2023. Filming for the season was scheduled to begin that September, but this was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. In November, Filoni revealed that he was now chief creative officer at Lucasfilm and would be directly involved in the planning of future films and series.

### Development

While production on the fourth season was delayed by the labor disputes, Lucasfilm re-evaluated their plans for the franchise and decided to prioritize a Mandalorian film instead. The studio announced the film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu, in January 2024. Favreau was set to direct, co-write with Filoni, and produce with Kennedy, Filoni, and Ian Bryce. Filming was expected to begin that June, making it the first Star Wars film to move forward since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) ended the main "Skywalker Saga" film series. Pascal celebrated the film's announcement by sharing concept art for it on Instagram. He was expected to reprise his role as the voice of the Mandalorian, but it was unclear whether he would be physically portraying the character—whose face is generally hidden with a helmet—and some questioned whether his busy schedule had room for the production. It was also unclear whether the fourth season would still be made because there was potential for future Mandalorian stories to instead be told through film sequels if the first film was a success.
During an earnings call in February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the film would likely be released in 2026 and would start a new slate of Star Wars films. Explaining the decision to move forward with The Mandalorian & Grogu as the next Star Wars film, Kennedy said they had built an audience for the film through the success of The Mandalorian on Disney+ and she believed young audiences would consider the film to be "their Star Wars" and not feel pressure to watch the entire franchise in order to see this entry. Also in February, California allocated the production $21,755,000 in tax credits from the state's filming tax incentive program, one of the biggest allocations in the program's history. The film was expected to be entirely produced in the state, a first for a Star Wars theatrical film, and would generate over $166 million in qualified expenditures and below-the-line wages there. In April, Disney scheduled the film for release on May 22, 2026, filling the May 2026 date that the studio previously reserved for an untitled Star Wars film. Sigourney Weaver was in talks to join the cast a month later.

### Filming

Principal photography was scheduled to begin in June 2024 in California, under the working title Thunder Alley, and was expected to last for 92 days. The film had approximately 54 cast members, 3,500 background extras, and 500 crew members. Favreau and Filoni said in early August that filming had begun several weeks earlier. At that time, the character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios from Rebels was revealed to be appearing along with the Anzellan species from The Rise of Skywalker and the third season of The Mandalorian. A new version of the Razor Crest, the Mandalorian's ship which was destroyed in the second season of the series, was also set to appear in the film. Weaver confirmed her casting at the end of August. Filming wrapped by the start of December 2024.

### Post-production

In mid-December, Jonny Coyne was revealed to be reprising his role as an Imperial Warlord from the third season of The Mandalorian. By then, Jeremy Allen White was cast to provide the voice of Rotta the Hutt, a character first introduced in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).

## Marketing

Favreau and Filoni presented initial footage from the film at Disney's D23 convention in August 2024. More footage was shown at D23 Brasil in November, with Favreau and Filoni appearing via a video message from the film's set.

## Release

The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 22, 2026.