THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Is Bringing Star Wars Back to Theaters — and Filoni Calls It a “Different Era” Than The Force Awakens

It’s been seven years since Star Wars last hit the big screen. The franchise closed the Skywalker Saga in 2019 with The Rise of Skywalker — and since then, the galaxy has lived on streaming. Now, Star Wars is officially pivoting back to cinemas with The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Empire’s new cover story frames it as a very different kind of theatrical comeback.

Dave Filoni’s core point: this isn’t another “Episode VII moment.” It’s a film built around characters the audience already knows — and loves.

“We’re in a completely different era of Star Wars now.”

Filoni compares the theatrical return to The Force Awakens — but says the situation isn’t the same

Filoni directly compares the scale of returning to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu to the cultural impact of The Force Awakens, while also stressing that Episode VII carried a unique weight: it was the start of a new trilogy, and a generational “finally, VII exists” moment.

The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t have to introduce a brand-new trilogy or reboot Star Wars for the first time in decades. Filoni’s framing is more straightforward:

It’s a “big celebration” of its title pair.

Filoni is officially second-unit director on the movie

This is a sneaky-big detail for anyone tracking who’s actually shaping the film. Empire confirms Filoni co-wrote the movie and also directed second unit.

Second unit is often where the “movie muscle” gets built: action coverage, insert sequences, additional photography — the kind of work that shapes pacing and scale.

Pedro Pascal calls Season 3 “the ending of a particular chapter” — not the end of Din

Empire also includes a clean status update on where Din Djarin and Grogu are emotionally (and structurally) after Season 3.

Pedro Pascal describes the Season 3 finale as “the ending of a particular chapter,” and points out that it opens the door for Din to keep doing what he does best — bounty hunter work — but now tied to the New Republic’s mission pipeline.

Pascal’s most interesting angle is the character evolution: Din starts as pure skill and creed, and ends up with a moral center shaped by Grogu — an expansion of heart, “a disarming of his armour.”

“Massive practical sets,” “puppetry galore,” and stop-motion from Phil Tippett’s studio

Here’s the part that will make practical-effects fans sit up straight: the Empire piece teases a bigger cinematic scale, including huge practical sets, tons of puppetry, and stop-motion work via Phil Tippett’s studio.

Tippett Studio has also publicly confirmed they’re working on the project.

That combination matters because it’s not just “bigger action.” It’s a statement about texture — the tactile, old-school Star Wars feel, upgraded for IMAX-era spectacle.

Filoni’s best line isn’t about spectacle — it’s about belief

One of Filoni’s most “shareable” points in the piece is basically a mission statement for why Star Wars works at all:

Spectacle is only part of the job. The real question is whether the audience believes it — and feels it — and that comes from character connection.

Empire’s full cover story hits March 12

Empire says the May 2026 issue (with the full cover story featuring interviews with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, and Jeremy Allen White) goes on sale Thursday, March 12.

Release date: May 22, 2026

Theatrical release is set for May 22, 2026 (with official Star Wars channels and multiple outlets aligning on that date).