The Mandalorian & Grogu: Release date, plot, cast & everything we know

a person in silver armor carries a small green alien with big ears as a spaceship explodes behind them
Promotional art for "The Mandalorian and Grogu." (Image credit: Disney+)

You might be waiting for The Mandalorian season 4 following the third volume's rather explosive finale, but Din Djarin and Grogu will be seen in cinemas next as Disney and Lucasfilm plot Star Wars' return to the big screen with several movies.

If you want to know everything about The Mandalorian & Grogu, the upcoming Star Wars movie from writer-director Jon Favreau, you've come to the right place, so grab your blaster, don your beskar helmet, and let's go.

On top of the new and returning Star Wars Disney Plus shows coming our way, the theatrical slate for the rest of the decade is taking shape following several announcements at Star Wars Celebration 2023 and separate news about an all-new trilogy that's currently being developed by X-Men veteran Simon Kinberg.

While we wait for more Star Wars movie news and new series announcements, you can rewatch (or discover for the first time) the most recent seasons of Star Wars television: The Bad Batch season 3, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew. At the same time, gamers will want to check out some of the best Star Wars games of all time in order to master the Force.

The Mandalorian & Grogu release date

The Mandalorian Din Djarin and Grogu. (Image credit: Disney+)

While we still have to wait a little while, The Mandalorian & Grogu movie now has a release date locked in for May 22, 2026.

According to Lucasfilm's January 9, 2024, press release, Jon Favreau's movie "will lead" Lucasfilm's ever-evolving movie slate, so that means it'll be the first Star Wars movie in cinemas since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, which marked the end of the Skywalker Saga.

Another Star Wars theatrical feature was set to drop on Dec. 18, 2026, and that could very well have been the Daisy Ridley-led Rey Skywalker movie. In late 2024, Disney removed that Star Wars slot from its theatrical schedule. Right now, it appears that the project is undergoing a major script rework with a new writer. Meanwhile, Shawn Levy's mystery movie (rumored to also feature Rey) may be the next one getting fast-tracked for a 2027 release.

What is the plot of The Mandalorian & Grogu?

Still from "The Mandalorian" season 3. (Image credit: Disney+)

The Mandalorian season 3 ended with Din Djarin, Grogu, and Bo-Katan (with the help of a Mandalorian army) seemingly destroying Moff Gideon and his Imperial followers once and for all, which led to the Kryze heiress reclaiming Mandalore for their people.

Following those events, Din Djarin struck a deal with the New Republic to help them hunt down and bring to justice other Imperial Remnant leaders, which definitely puts him and Grogu on a straight collision course with the main conflict introduced in Ahsoka's first season: Grand Admiral Thrawn returning to the known galaxy and planning (alongside other nefarious forces) to tear down the newly-formed Republic.

With the Dave Filoni-led event movie still a few years away (he must figure out Ahsoka season 2 first), it's looking like The Mandalorian & Grogu will bridge the gap between the TV series and the larger conflict on the horizon. Until we receive the first official plot details, it's safe to assume Star Wars' most iconic characters in recent years will be going after some Imperial baddies and maybe meeting with some friends and surprising legacy aliens along the way.

The Mandalorian & Grogu trailers

Still from "The Mandalorian" season 3. (Image credit: Disney+)

The Mandalorian & Grogu hasn't even entered production yet, so don't expect official first looks at the movie until 2025 at the earliest. We'll be updating this article with all the new material released by Disney and Lucasfilm as it comes, so stay tuned.

The Mandalorian & Grogu cast

Still from "The Mandalorian" season 3. (Image credit: Disney+)

Pedro Pascal will be returning to play Din Djarin, the titular Mandalorian, alongside Brendan Wayne (most scenes with the helmet on) and Lateef Crowder (stuntman). Grogu needs no introduction and is a puppet, so no actor will be attached to the role unless he finally starts talking.

So far, three actors have been confirmed to be part of the cast alongside Pascal: sci-fi legend Sigourney Weaver (Alien) in an unknown role, Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) as the voice of Rotta the Hutt, Steve Blum (Star Wars Rebels) as Zeb Orrelios, and Jonny Coyne (The Blacklist) as an Imperial warlord that we've seen before in The Mandalorian season 3.

We can also think of plenty of names that could show up in the Mandalorian and Grogu's next story chapter due to their ties to the characters and where they are in the larger galaxy at the moment: Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Amy Sedaris (Peli Motto), Timothy Olyphant (Cobb Vanth), Omid Abtahi (Dr. Pershing), Katy O'Brian (Elia Kane), and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Carson Teva).

Of course, not everyone in that list must appear in The Mandalorian & Grogu, especially with Dave Filoni's event movie still moving forward, but they're all characters who can either add to Din and Grogu's journey or represent strong supporting roles. Stay tuned for more casting news in the near future.

The Mandalorian & Grogu director, writer, and crew

Still from "The Mandalorian" season 3. (Image credit: Disney+)

The Mandalorian & Grogu will be directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) from a script by himself and Dave Filoni. The veteran filmmaker will also produce the first theatrical Star Wars release in a while alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce, Karen Gilchrist, and chief creative officer (and New Republic storytelling partner) Dave Filoni.

The production design is, unsurprisingly, being handled by Star Wars veterans Doug Chiang and Andrew L. Jones (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), with costume design work led by Mary Zophres (Fly Me to the Moon).

It’ll also be interesting to see whether Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Oppenheimer) returns to work on the original score after letting Joseph Shirley (The Book of Boba Fett) take the reins in the third season of the series.

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Fran Ruiz

Fran Ruiz is our resident Star Wars guy. His hunger for movies and TV series is only matched by his love for video games. He got a BA of English Studies, focusing on English Literature, from the University of Malaga, in Spain, as well as a Master's Degree in English Studies, Multilingual and Intercultural Communication. On top of writing features and other longform articles for Space.com since 2021, he is a frequent collaborator of VG247 and other gaming sites. He also serves as associate editor over at Star Wars News Net and its sister site, Movie News Net.