Cast Returning for New ‘Star Wars’ After ‘The Mandalorian’ Reportedly Scrapped
After years of dominating the small screen, Star Wars is headed back to the big screen—and it’s doing so with two of its most beloved characters at the forefront.
On May 22, 2026, The Mandalorian and Grogu will mark the franchise’s first theatrical release since 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker, nearly seven years prior. This new entry isn’t just a return to theaters—it’s a major pivot for Lucasfilm and Disney, spotlighting the galaxy’s most unlikely father-son duo.
That shift became official in January 2024, when Lucasfilm revealed that Din Djarin and Grogu would headline a feature film. The decision followed Star Wars Celebration 2023, where Kathleen Kennedy teased three new film projects, each representing a new vision for the franchise.
That announcement left fans with questions—chief among them: What happened to The Mandalorian Season 4, and how would this impact Dave Filoni’s long-anticipated crossover movie?
Answers started coming in October 2024, thanks to The Hollywood Reporter. “Instead of a fourth season, Disney decided to pivot The Mandalorian to launch its first Star Wars feature film since The Rise of Skywalker,” the outlet reported.
That move echoes Disney’s larger rethink of how to deliver Star Wars stories. While the third season of The Mandalorian brought notable changes, those shifts weren’t always met with enthusiasm. The departure of Cara Dune (Gina Carano), greater focus on Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and limited screen time from Pedro Pascal were all signs of a series recalibrating itself.
Still, Season 4 hasn’t been shelved entirely. According to The Direct, that door remains cracked open.
“According to a report from The InSneider, The Mandalorian Season 4 may not be dead at Disney+,” The Direct reported in December 2024. “He noted that the follow-up remains ‘in development’ for streaming, but The Mandalorian and Grogu will ‘arrive first’ in theaters.”
However, The Mandalorian and Grogu’s theatrical success may determine whether Season 4 ever sees the light of day. A separate report by Daniel Richtman claimed the film has outright replaced the series on Disney+.
Director Jon Favreau is looking to strike a balance with the movie’s appeal. In an interview with Collider, he addressed the challenge of attracting both long-time viewers and newcomers.
“A lot of people know these characters who haven’t seen the show. So it’s not just that there are people who saw the show and people who don’t know the characters–there’s a big range,” Favreau explained. “We want to reward people who’ve been there since the beginning, but also invite new audiences in.”
To that end, the film’s use of IMAX is meant to amplify its scale and scope. And as Dave Filoni prepares for his own directorial debut, the path forward for Star Wars is expanding in new directions.
The film won’t just bring familiar faces—it’s introducing new ones as well. Confirmed to return are Din Djarin and Din Grogu, with Pedro Pascal reprising his role. However, it remains unclear how much time Pascal will actually spend in the armor; Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder carried much of the load in Season 3.
Fan-favorite characters like Trapper Wolf (Filoni) and Garazeb Orrelios, AKA Zeb (Steve Blum), are confirmed. The Anzellans are also back. While names like Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano remain speculative, some absences are confirmed.
Gina Carano’s Cara Dune is officially out. The actress was dismissed following Season 2 and has since filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm with legal assistance from Elon Musk.
Also joining the cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jonny Coyne, and Jeremy Allen White.
Grogu’s growth as a character will be on full display. At Star Wars Celebration Tokyo, Favreau teased a more mature take on the once-silent creature.
“You wanna have progression, so it’s not just the same situation over and over again,” Favreau said. “So, on one front, the relationship between Mando and Grogu has evolved. He’s now an apprentice. Now he’s a family member and adopted by him.”
Favreau expanded on that:
“And now, as they go off, as it said at the end of the last season, it’s his job to train him. And they have to go out on adventures and they have to work together. And so there’s apprenticeship that’s happening between the two of them. But also, Grogu is becoming more comfortable as– remember, he was trained by none other than Luke Skywalker. And the path of the Force is a lifelong path, and so, we wanna have evolution, and as the story gets bigger, the screen gets bigger, we wanna have Grogu grow into that.”
Season 3 already peeled back the curtain on Grogu’s history. In “Chapter 20: The Foundling,” we learned that Kelleran Beq (Ahmed Best) saved Grogu from Order 66, rescuing him from the Jedi Temple during the Coruscant purge led by Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and clone troopers.
Beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars is laying out its future. At Star Wars Celebration 2025, Lucasfilm confirmed that Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter will follow in May 2027, starring Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. That film is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker.
Filoni, meanwhile, has a full slate. His feature film is still in development, and Ahsoka Season 2 is currently filming. Celebration attendees also got a first look at Rory McCann (Game of Thrones) taking over the role of Baylan Skoll, following the passing of Ray Stevenson in 2023.
Are you ready for the Mandalorian’s next chapter? Let us know in the comments!
