Draft: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.

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 was scheduled to begin filming in June in California.

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: An infant of the same species as Yoda and the Mandalorian's ward. Grogu is created with animatronics and puppetry (augmented with visual effects).

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 and Star Wars Rebels, had also been conceiving a Mandalorian-focused series, and Kennedy suggested that he and Favreau work together on their ideas. 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—an infant of the same species as Yoda, created with animatronics and puppetry (augmented with visual effects). He becomes the Mandalorian's ward, and is revealed to be named Grogu in the second season. 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". 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 Writers Guild of America strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. 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 Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes, 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 and Filoni. Filming was expected to begin in June. Pascal celebrated the announcement on Instagram by sharing concept art for the film. 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 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 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.

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. 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. The next month, Sigorney Weaver was in talks to join the cast.

Filming
Principal photography was scheduled to begin in June 2024, in California. It was expected to take 92 days, under the working title Thunder Alley. The film will feature approximately 54 cast members, 3,500 background extras, and 500 crew members.

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