A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars came to life on the silver screen. A universe of lightsabers, Jedi, Sith Lords, and spaceships started a new generation of science-fiction filmmaking. However, with a franchise spanning almost 5 decades, it was time for a change, which came with the introduction of Disney+. Wanting to dip into the streaming wars, Disney looked towards some of its strongest IPs for content, beginning with The Mandalorian, a series set in the Star Wars universe. Having spanned three seasons, with a fourth on the way, the adventures of Din Djarin and his adorable ward are making the jump from television to cinema, with the upcoming film The Mandalorian and Grogu.
It was only a matter of time before we saw another Star Wars film in theaters and with the positive reception of Pedro Pascal and his puppet friend, it makes sense to begin with a strong contender for ticket sales. So with The Mandalorian and Grogu coming to the big screen within the next couple of years, filming on the project has to begin sometime soon.
Things are heating up behind the scenes for this Star Wars project and many others, which means it’s time for some updates on the status of the SW Universe. Today, thanks to our sources, we’re able to confirm the working title for The Mandalorian and Grogu film, as well as the title and working title for Episode X of the Skywalker Saga.
Why do Disney and other studios use a working title when filming?
If you’ve clicked on one of our working title articles before, you may be familiar with why production houses use working titles when filming their movies. However, for those who aren’t familiar, we here at The Cosmic Circus love to provide a comprehensive understanding of the information we provide.
The purpose of working titles is to mask the project that’s filming. If you’re walking down the streets of Los Angeles and see a sign that says, “Marvel Studios” there’s a good chance you’ll be intrigued enough to want to walk onto the set and see what’s going on. This is difficult for productions that have limited time, money, and resources, especially if they are filming on location instead of on a sound stage. Filming under a working title, such as Daredevil: Born Again filming under the name Out the Kitchen, you have little way of knowing what that project is.
That is at least what the W/T was designed for, however, in the age of the internet, this information becomes circulated much easier. The practice of using them is still in place, and they can provide us with a clue of what to expect from the project at hand.
Now that we know a bit about why working titles are used, it’s time for the main event, the W/T for the upcoming Star Wars films, The Mandalorian and Grogu!
The Mandalorian and Grogu’s working title is “Thunder Alley”
Our sources were able to confirm that The Mandalorian and Grogu will be filming under the W/T “Thunder Alley.” Never heard of Thunder Alley? Me either, however, it turns out that Thunder Alley is already established in the wider Star Wars lore. According to Wookieepedia:
“Thunder Alley was a region of space along the New Republic borders that several fleets rotated to patrol. In 16 ABY just before the Black Fleet Crisis, the Second Fleet had been patrolling Thunder Alley the longest of the fleets without home service and shipyard services. Admiral Gial Ackbar convinced Chief of State Leia Organa Solo to pull the Second Fleet out and replace it with the First Fleet, which had been serving as Coruscant’s defense force during the same time.”
Thunder Alley seems to have only appeared/been mentioned in a Star Wars Legends novel, Before The Storm, which was the first novel of The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy. This trilogy of novels explored political issues and the military agenda of the New Republic, with an emphasis on the military aspect.
This feels like a great fit for a Mandalorian story, as his journey has been more ingrained in the bounty hunter story, which is military at its core. Perhaps The Mandalorian and Grogu will bring another beloved Legends story to the screen, which isn’t unheard of in the Star Wars Universe. While this news is exciting, it’s not the only information from an upcoming Star Wars project that we can confirm.
The title and W/T of Star Wars: Episode X
There’s been a lot of speculation about the name of the upcoming Rey-focused Star Wars film. Many outlets continue to refer to it as I did in the first sentence; however, others have called it New Jedi Order, or even A New Beginning. Looking around in preparation for this report, there seemed to be no consensus about the name of the film, which Star Wars News spoke on. In their article, they said that a name hasn’t been officially decided on, but a Reddit post linked the name as Star Wars: A New Beginning.
According to our own sources, we can confirm that A New Beginning is indeed the name of the film. More specifically, our sources stated that the film is Star Wars: Episode X- A New Beginning, with the W/T being “New Jedi Order.” [Editor’s Note: StarWars.com contributor Jordan Maison has stated on his X account that info from Lucasfilm directly has said the title Episode X: A New Beginning is “categorically incorrect” and that while the working title is “New Jedi Order” as reported, that they are denying the title, stating “No other titles have been/are being used at this time.”]
Both of these films begin production in the next couple of years, so it’ll be an exciting time for Star Wars fans, as more news and updates begin coming out from our favorite galaxy light years away. You can watch the first three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+ and The Mandalorian and Grogu will arrive in theaters in the coming years. What are your thoughts on this working title and that for Episode X? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus and in The Cosmic Circus Discord!
What to Expect: The Mandalorian & Grogu Movie
Review: The Mandalorian Season 3 & Season Finale
