The Mandalorian & Grogu is the latest film announced from the Star Wars universe. To be directed by Jon Favreau, the movie aims to begin filming later this year and is currently expected to be released sometime in 2026. The story will take place after season 3 of the hit Disney+ show The Mandalorian, as it continues the adventures of the Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu. The film should delve into and expand on the ever-growing plot threads from the Mandoverse series of shows on Disney+.
There’s already plenty of speculation surrounding The Mandalorian & Grogu. Read on below, and I’ll try to predict what the movie may be about, and who could show up!
A possible set up for the Dave Filoni Star Wars film
Before delving into any speculation, it is important to note that The Mandalorian & Grogu is not the Dave Filoni movie announced at Star Wars Celebration that aims to wrap up this current era of storytelling. Instead, Dave Filoni’s movie will deal with Grand Admiral Thrawn. It will be used as the culmination of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew (aka the Mandoverse), which is expected to be released later this year.
The Mandalorian & Grogu could very effectively be used to introduce Din Djarin, Grogu, The New Republic, and the era itself to a much wider, cinema-going audience. This would be useful for bringing the world to more people. It could also be used to tease Dave Filoni’s movie, which would increase the hype for the film while introducing new fans to the characters and events of the era, more so than another series on Disney+ would.
What will The Mandalorian & Grogu be about?
The end of season 3 of The Mandalorian saw Din and the newly adopted Grogu sign themselves up to the New Republic to take on select missions for them, and help to protect the Outer Rim. Mandalore was also reclaimed by Bo-Katan (Katee Sackoff) and a whole host of other Mandalorians after the defeat of Moff Gideon and his hidden base on the planet.
With the ending of season 3 in mind, it opens a whole host of possibilities for where the story could go. Most likely it will be something to do with the ever-growing Imperial Remnant. With Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) back in the main Star Wars galaxy and in charge of what is left of the Empire, it will make the galaxy a much more dangerous place. This could easily bring Din and Grogu into the fold of helping out the New Republic as they struggle with the rise of the Empire once more.
We could also possibly see Mandalore threatened as they try to make themselves known to the galaxy. It could even involve crime syndicates or the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, who may have one last bounty for Din Djarin to collect.
With the movie being directed by Jon Favreau and produced by he and Dave Filoni, we can easily assume there will be plenty of iconic Star Wars content from across all the eras for fans to enjoy. This may even include flashbacks, to either earlier in Grogu’s life or even more backstory for Din Djarin. We have had bits of both of their backstories strewn throughout The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett.
It would be great to see more flashbacks in the movie itself. This could prompt some Prequel era characters or locations to show up in the movie. With the return of some actors from that era, like Hayden Christensen, to a galaxy far, far away, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to believe they may wish to give us more Prequels content here.
Thrawn, Moff Gideon and other possible villains in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Villains are one of the most iconic parts of a Star Wars movie, so it’s expected that the villain of The Mandalorian & Grogu will be no different. But who could it be?
Grand Admiral Thrawn will most likely be out of the picture for the main villain of the movie, as he will be saved for Ahsoka season 2 and then for Dave Filoni’s movie. Despite this, Thrawn could be teased in the movie easily, either as someone behind the scenes who’s been pulling the strings, or outright showing him and teasing him. This would help get the audience on board with what makes Thrawn such a formidable villain, and not make the final fight his first appearance in a film.
And… Moff Gideon is dead. Or is he? For 3 seasons of The Mandalorian, Moff Gideon, brilliantly played by Giancarlo Esposito had been the overarching villain of the show, determined to capture Grogu and stop the Mandalorians from retaking Mandalore. The last time we saw Gideon, he was sporting his finest Dark Trooper armor but was caught in the fiery explosion of his Imperial Light Cruiser crashing into his base. That would be enough to kill most people. But it is Star Wars, people don’t always stay dead, and the last episode of season 3 gave us what Moff Gideon had been working on for 3 seasons: clones.
Despite these clones also being destroyed in the final episode of season 3 by Din himself, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to speculate that one of the clones could have survived. Maybe even with force sensitivity, as teased throughout the seasons. Moff Gideon returning to go toe to toe with both Din and Grogu would make for an interesting turn of events, and bringing back Giancarlo Esposito would definitely tick the iconic villains’ box.
It could also easily be the case that we are introduced to someone new in the film. There is the Imperial Shadow Council, a shady group of remnant governors and moffs who wish nothing more than to see the rise of the Empire once more. All of whom could cause trouble for the New Republic, as well as Din and Grogu.
Then again, the villian or villains of The Mandalorian & Grogu might not be an imperial at all. With Din being a bounty hunter, they may wish to capitalize on that more in the film. He could go toe to toe with another bounty hunter or even someone from his past who has returned for revenge. Whoever it may be, they will no doubt prove a formidable foe if they’re meant to be the primary threat in this film.
Boba Fett, Bo-Katan and other characters who may appear
There are a plethora of characters from across The Mandalorian and other Mandoverse shows who could easily show up to give a helping hand (or possibly some trouble) to Din and Grogu.
Boba Fett should, of course, be top of the list. One of the most famous characters in all of Star Wars, and a star of his own show, it would be great to finally see him back on the big screen again after so many years. Boba would have no trouble coming to help Din and Grogu as his dislike for the Empire is well-known from the shows. Any threat from them could take him away from Tatooine.
Other Mandalorians such as Bo-Katan and Axe Woves may also be incredibly likely, if Din is to visit Mandalore at any point in the film. This could happen as he would want to check in with the new leader of Mandalore. This scenario could bring some interesting dynamics, either with some new conflict or maybe a proposition for Din.
We may also see some familiar characters, as we know people like Luke Skywalker have shown up in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett along with C3PO and Mon Mothma in Ahsoka. With The Mandalorian & Grogu being the first Star Wars film to hit cinemas since 2019, Lucasfilm may well want more recognizable characters to appear. Seeing somebody like Luke Skywalker or even Anakin Skywalker in a flashback would certainly be one of the biggest moments of the year for moviegoers.
Din and Gorgu can be seen in The Mandalorian, which is currently streaming on Disney+! What do you think might happen in this new Star Wars film? What would you like to see happen? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord!
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