Wikipedia

The Mandalorian & Grogu

The Mandalorian & Grogu is an upcoming American space Western 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.

The Mandalorian & Grogu
Directed byJon Favreau
Written by
Based onCharacters
by George Lucas
Produced by
Starring
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release date
  • May 22, 2026 (2026-05-22)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Favreau and Filoni had written the fourth season of The Mandalorian by February 2023, but production on the season was delayed by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. During this time, Lucasfilm re-evaluated their plans for the franchise and decided to prioritize a Mandalorian film over the season. The film was announced in January 2024, and began filming in California by August 2024.

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

Cast

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The character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios from the animated series Star Wars Rebels also appears,[5] as do members of the Anzellan species.[6]

Production

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Background

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Director Jon Favreau pitched an idea he had for a Star Wars television series featuring Mandalorians to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in 2017.[7][8] Dave Filoni, executive producer on the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, had also been conceiving a Mandalorian-focused series, and Kennedy suggested that he and Favreau work together on their ideas.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] The next month, Favreau said there was an opportunity to explore the series' characters in Star Wars films or spin-off television series.[2]

The Mandalorian's bounty at the start of the series is "the Child"—colloquially known as "Baby Yoda" by viewers—an infant of the same species as Yoda, created with animatronics and puppetry (augmented with visual effects). He becomes the Mandalorian's ward,[2] and is revealed to be named Grogu in the second season.[11] 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 3 and season 4".[12] 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.[13] Favreau began writing the fourth season by late May 2022,[14] and completed the scripts with Filoni by February 2023.[15] Filming for the season was scheduled to begin that September, but this was delayed by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[16][17][18] 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.[19]

Development

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While production on the fourth season was delayed by the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Lucasfilm re-evaluated their plans for the franchise and decided to prioritize a Mandalorian film instead.[18] 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 and Filoni.[3][18] Ian Bryce also serves as a producer.[20] Filming was expected to begin in June.[1] Pascal celebrated the announcement on Instagram by sharing concept art for the film.[21] 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),[1] and some questioned whether his schedule had room for the production.[21] 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.[18] During an earnings call in early February, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the film would likely be released in 2026 and would start a new slate of Star Wars films.[22]

In late February 2024, 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 the Star Wars franchise, and would generate over $166 million in qualified expenditures and below-the-line wages there.[23] In April, Disney scheduled the film for release on May 22, 2026, filling the May 2026 date that the studio had previously reserved for an untitled Star Wars film.[24] The next month, Sigourney Weaver was in talks to join the cast.[25]

Filming

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Principal photography was scheduled to begin in June 2024 in California.[1][23] It was expected to take 92 days,[23] under the working title Thunder Alley.[26] The film will feature approximately 54 cast members, 3,500 background extras, and 500 crew members.[23] In early August, Favreau and Filoni announced at Disney's D23 convention that filming had begun several weeks earlier.[27] They revealed that the character Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios from the animated series Star Wars Rebels would appear, along with the Anzellan species from the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) 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 revealed to be appearing in the film.[5][6] Weaver confirmed her casting at the end of the month.[4]

Marketing

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Favreau and Filoni presented initial footage from the film at the D23 convention in August 2024.[5][6]

Release

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The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 22, 2026.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d McPherson, Chris (February 11, 2024). "'The Mandalorian & Grogu' Movie Eyes Summer Production Start". Collider. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Giardina, Carolyn (December 5, 2019). "Why Jon Favreau Chose Baby Yoda: "We Don't Know a Lot of Details About His Species"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (January 9, 2024). "'The Mandalorian & Grogu': Jon Favreau To Direct And Produce 'Star Wars' Pic For Lucasfilm". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (August 27, 2024). "Sigourney Weaver, On Eve Of Her Venice Lifetime Achievement Award, Lifts Lid On Remarkable Career From 'Alien' To 'Avatar', 'Working Girl' To 'Ghostbusters' And 'Star Wars' Role To Come". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 10, 2024). "'The Mandalorian & Grogu' First Footage Wows At Disney D23: AT-ATs, Snow & Babu Frick". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Lussier, Germain (August 10, 2024). "The First Footage From The Mandalorian & Grogu Is As Cold As Ice". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (December 19, 2019). "In Baby Yoda, Hollywood Sees Its Past, Present and Meme-able Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Breznican, Anthony (February 19, 2022). "Star Wars: The Rebellion Will Be Televised". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Whitbrook, James (April 11, 2019). "The Mandalorian Will Premiere on Disney+ November 12". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Thorne, Will (November 13, 2019). "Disney Studios Chief Alan Horn on Scorsese v. Marvel, Challenges in a Changing Business". Variety. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Thorne, Will (November 27, 2020). "'The Mandalorian': What's Ahsoka Tano Been Up To? Baby Yoda's Big Reveal and More Burning Questions From 'The Jedi'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Pearson, Ben (September 21, 2020). "'The Mandalorian' Season 4 is When "You're Really Gonna Start to Get Answers", Says Giancarlo Esposito". /Film. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Vary, Adam B. (October 15, 2020). "A 'Mandalorian' Movie? Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau on the Future of the Newest 'Star Wars' Franchise". Variety. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (May 29, 2022). "Jon Favreau Confirms He's Working On The Mandalorian Season 4 While Opening Up About Star Wars Crossover Opportunities". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (February 20, 2023). "The Mandalorian Creator Teases MCU-Style Star Wars Story". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 15, 2023). "'The Mandalorian' Season 4 Start Of Production Likely To Be Delayed Due To Writers Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  17. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (June 1, 2023). "Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 4 Production Pushed Back Amid Writers' Strike". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d Kit, Borys (January 12, 2024). "The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision Newsletter". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  19. ^ Moreau, Jordan (November 21, 2023). "Dave Filoni Is Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, Will Be 'Planning the Future' of 'Star Wars' Films and Shows". Variety. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Unmatched Power of Disney Storytelling on Display from Disney Entertainment on Night One of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event". The Walt Disney Company. August 9, 2024. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Brizzell, Molly (January 9, 2024). ""Hey Mando!": Pedro Pascal Celebrates The Mandalorian & Grogu Movie Announcement". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Anderton, Ethan (February 7, 2024). "The Mandalorian And Grogu Will Land In 2026, Kicking Off A New Wave Of Star Wars Movies". /Film. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d Patten, Dominic (February 26, 2024). "'The Mandalorian & Grogu' Lands One Of California's Largest Tax Credit Awards Ever; First 'Star Wars' Flick To Be Shot In Golden State". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2024). "'Mandalorian & Grogu', 'Moana' Live Action & 'Toy Story 5' Stake Out 2026 Release Dates". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  25. ^ Kit, Borys (May 10, 2024). "'Star Wars': Sigourney Weaver in Talks to Join 'The Mandalorian & Grogu'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "Production Weekly – Issue 1391 – Thursday, February 29, 2024 / 178 Listings – 38 Pages". Production Weekly. February 29, 2024. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  27. ^ Salvati, Tara (August 10, 2024). "Star Wars' Next Movie Officially Began Filming "Weeks Ago" To Hit 2026 Release". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
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