Dave Filoni has found a very Dave Filoni way to describe running Star Wars. Not “brand architect.”Not “content overseer.”Not “the guy trying to stop the galaxy from collapsing under the weight of canon spreadsheets.” No, Filoni sees himself a little differently. Speaking to USA Today, via AOL, the Lucasfilm creative chief described his role as helping bring out the best in the people around him and being “a little Obi-Wan” when creators need guidance through the galaxy. Honestly, that may be the most Star Wars management quote ever given. The Mentor Role Fits Filoni Almost Too Well Filoni has always been a slightly unusual figure in modern Star Wars. He began as George Lucas’ animation apprentice on The Clone Wars, became one of the key voices behind Rebels, helped shape the Disney+ era through The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, and is now one of the central creative leaders steering Lucasfilm into…
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Mando and Grogu Just Made Starfighter’s Job Harder
The Mandalorian and Grogu has done its job. Star Wars is back in theaters, the opening weekend was strong, and Grogu has once again proven that he may be less a character and more a tiny green economic stabilizer with ears. But that success also makes the next Star Wars movie more interesting. Because if The Mandalorian and Grogu was the safe theatrical restart, Star Wars: Starfighter is shaping up to be the real test. The Safe Bet Worked The numbers are good. The Mandalorian and Grogu opened with roughly $165 million worldwide, according to Reuters, giving Lucasfilm exactly what it needed after years away from cinemas: proof that Star Wars can still pull people into theaters. But it did so with a lot of help. Din Djarin and Grogu are familiar. They have years of Disney+ momentum behind them. They are family-friendly, toy-friendly, meme-friendly, and emotionally simple in the…
Star Wars’ Streaming Detour May Not Have Hurt the Franchise After All
For years, the big worry around Star Wars was simple: had Disney trained audiences to see the galaxy as a streaming franchise? After The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, and several animated series, Star Wars had spent a long time living on Disney+. Good for subscription value. Good for weekly discourse. Good for Grogu GIFs. But maybe risky for theaters. Now The Mandalorian and Grogu has opened with around $165 million worldwide, and the early answer may be less dramatic than expected. Star Wars did not return to cinemas like The Force Awakens. But it also did not come crawling back with a broken hyperdrive and a note from accounting. As box office analyst David A. Gross told Variety: “For Star Wars not to be hurt in any obvious way by its long detour onto streaming is good news for the franchise.” That is the…
Mando and Grogu Opens Big, But Star Wars Still Has Something to Prove
Star Wars is back in theaters, and the opening weekend number is doing exactly what Star Wars numbers usually do: starting an argument. The Mandalorian and Grogu opened to an estimated $165 million worldwide over Memorial Day weekend, with about $102 million coming from the U.S. and Canada, according to Reuters and AP. That is a big number. A very big number, in fact. It is also the lowest domestic opening for a Disney-era Star Wars movie. So yes, welcome back to theatrical Star Wars, where even success has to arrive carrying a small glowing discourse grenade. A Strong Opening, But Not a Supernova For almost any other franchise, a $165 million global launch would be a clear victory lap. For Star Wars, it comes with an asterisk shaped like the Millennium Falcon. The good news is obvious: The Mandalorian and Grogu brought Star Wars back to cinemas after a…
Can Mando and Grogu Make Star Wars Feel Big Again?
Star Wars is back in theaters, but the real question is slightly more uncomfortable: Does it still feel huge? The Mandalorian and Grogu has finally brought the galaxy far, far away back to cinemas after a long theatrical break. It is the first new Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, and Disney is clearly hoping Din Djarin and Grogu can do more than sell popcorn. They need to remind people that Star Wars still belongs on the biggest screen possible. That is a heavier job than it sounds. The Galaxy Returns With Smaller Expectations According to Reuters, The Mandalorian and Grogu has been projected to open somewhere between $75 million and $100 million in the U.S. and Canada. For almost any other franchise, that would be a strong launch. For Star Wars, it is more complicated. Disney-era Star Wars used to open like a cultural emergency….
Fortnite’s Mando Crossover Is Only the First Step
Fortnite is not just borrowing Star Wars costumes anymore. It is starting to look like one of the places where Star Wars tests what the franchise can become next. With The Mandalorian and Grogu now tied directly into Fortnite through a dedicated Watch Party Island, quests, rewards, and a full Nevarro-inspired experience, Lucasfilm and Epic Games are doing more than tossing Din Djarin into the Item Shop and calling it a day. According to StarWars.com, the Watch Party Island gave players a special message from Jon Favreau and a 10-minute sneak peek of The Mandalorian and Grogu ahead of the film’s theatrical release. That alone is unusual enough. But Favreau’s comments to GamesRadar make the whole thing more interesting. He called the collaboration “a very first step” toward what he sees becoming a much larger project. That sounds less like a one-off promo and more like Lucasfilm quietly opening a…
Disney Just Turned Smugglers Run Into a Mando and Grogu Ride
The Millennium Falcon just got a new job, and naturally, Grogu is involved. A new Mandalorian and Grogu mission has officially arrived for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, launching at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort alongside The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters. That timing is not exactly subtle. But honestly, neither is putting Din Djarin, Grogu, Hondo Ohnaka, multiple planets, branching destinations, and the Millennium Falcon into the same attraction update. This is Star Wars synergy with the hyperdrive fully repaired. The Falcon Has a New Mission The updated Smugglers Run mission sends crews after ex-Imperial officers, with Hondo Ohnaka once again turning your vacation into unpaid space labor. The adventure begins on Tatooine, because apparently every Star Wars mission is legally required to touch sand at some point. From there, the ride can branch toward several major locations, including Bespin, Coruscant, and…
Mando and Grogu’s 88% Audience Score Splits the Room
Star Wars is back in theaters, and yes, the galaxy is arguing again. The Mandalorian and Grogu currently has an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on more than 1,000 verified ratings. That is a strong early sign that regular moviegoers are responding much more warmly to Din Djarin and Grogu’s big-screen adventure than many critics did. Because naturally, Star Wars could not simply return to cinemas quietly. It had to bring a scoreboard. Audiences Are Much Kinder Than Critics At the time of writing, Rotten Tomatoes lists the film at 64% on the Tomatometer and 88% on the Popcornmeter. That gap is the story. Critics have been more cautious, with several reviews describing the film as fun but familiar, charming but light, or closer to a supersized Disney+ adventure than a major cinematic reinvention. Audiences, apparently, are less bothered by that. For many viewers, “Mando and Grogu go…
Pedro Pascal Still Wants More Mando and Grogu
Pedro Pascal is not talking like someone ready to put the helmet away for good. With The Mandalorian and Grogu bringing Din Djarin and his tiny green chaos apprentice to the big screen, Pascal has made it clear that he still sees more road ahead for Star Wars’ most famous clan of two. Speaking in a new CBR interview clip, Pascal said he sees “a next chapter” for the pair, whether that happens on the big screen or the small screen. That is not an official announcement, obviously. Lucasfilm has not suddenly dropped a secret trilogy, a Disney+ season, and a Grogu holiday special into our laps. But it is still the kind of quote that tells you something important: the actor at the center of this whole beskar-covered machine does not sound finished. The Clan of Two Still Has Mileage The appeal of Mando and Grogu has always been…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Just Landed in Fortnite Again
Fortnite has opened the Star Wars toy box again, and this time it is very much walking the Way. New The Mandalorian and Grogu items are now live in the Fortnite Item Shop, bringing another round of Din Djarin energy into Epic’s never-ending pop culture blender. The big headline is the The Mandalorian (Pen & Ink) outfit, but the sneaky little scene-stealer may be the new BDX Droid sidekick. Yes, Fortnite has found another small droid to make Star Wars players point at the screen. A New Mando Look Hits the Shop The current shop rotation includes The Mandalorian (Pen & Ink), a stylized version of Din Djarin that fits Fortnite’s growing love of comic-book-inspired variants. It is not just the outfit either. The shop also lists several related cosmetics, including the Beskar Spear, Beskar Mythosaur, TIE Fighter Tow, and Modified Beskar Hallikset. And of course, Grogu is there too,…
StarWars.com’s Yoda or Grogu Quiz Hits Differently After Tom Kane
Normally, a StarWars.com quiz asking whether a line or clue belongs to Yoda or Grogu would just be cute franchise fluff. This week, it lands a little differently. The official site has released a new “Quiz: Is it Yoda or Grogu?”, challenging fans to tell the difference between the two small green Force legends. The setup is light, simple, and very on-brand: Yoda and Grogu may look similar and share certain traits, but each has a personality of his own. That is true. It is also hard not to think about Tom Kane while reading it. Yoda’s Voice Still Echoes Kane, who sadly passed away at 64, gave animated Yoda one of his most familiar modern voices. For many Star Wars fans, especially those raised on The Clone Wars, his performance became part of how Yoda sounded outside the films. That matters because Yoda is not just a character design….
The Mandalorian and Grogu Reviews Are Already Split
The Mandalorian and Grogu was supposed to be Star Wars’ cleanest route back to theaters. Early reviews suggest the landing may be bumpier than Lucasfilm hoped. As reviews began rolling in, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score hovered around the danger zone — initially circulating around 58%, then moving into the low 60s as more critics were added. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the movie was sitting around 64% positive, just above the “Fresh” cutoff, while Radio Times reported 63% based on 68 reviews at the time of writing. So no, this is not a critical disaster. But it is definitely not the triumphant, everyone-agrees Star Wars comeback either. A Movie Sitting on the Fence The interesting part is not the exact percentage. Rotten Tomatoes scores move, especially on review day. The story is the split. Some critics seem to appreciate The Mandalorian and Grogu as a fun, straightforward Star Wars…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Team Is Already Hoping for a Sequel
The first Mandalorian and Grogu movie is not even safely through the airlock yet, and Sigourney Weaver is already talking like someone who would happily book another trip to the Outer Rim. In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Weaver says she would love to do more work with Pedro Pascal and Grogu after The Mandalorian and Grogu. She also suggests the team is “secretly” hoping the movie could lead to another adventure, potentially pushing the story deeper into the Outer Rim. That is not an official sequel announcement. But it is absolutely the kind of comment Lucasfilm watchers will put under glass and examine with tiny tweezers. The Outer Rim Is the Right Playground The Outer Rim has always been where The Mandalorian feels most comfortable. Dusty settlements, broken Imperial leftovers, desperate locals, criminals pretending they have a code, and one armored dad trying to solve problems…
Jon Favreau Has Big Plans for Grogu After The Mandalorian and Grogu
Grogu is not just getting a movie. He may be getting a future. Jon Favreau has revealed that he has “a lot of plans” for Grogu creatively after The Mandalorian and Grogu, and the reason is very simple: this little green chaos child is not built for a one-movie arc. His species lives for centuries. His training is weird. His identity is split between two of Star Wars’ most myth-heavy traditions. In a new GamesRadar / Total Film interview, Favreau said Grogu is “on a path to be both a Jedi and a Mandalorian,” while also making choices and growing under a strong teacher. That is a very small sentence carrying a very large amount of future merchandise. And story. Mostly story. Grogu Is Built for the Long Game The most interesting part of Favreau’s comments is not just that he wants more Grogu stories. Of course he does. Lucasfilm…
Fortnite Is About to Become a Mando and Grogu Screening Room
Star Wars marketing has officially entered its “meet me in Fortnite for the movie preview” era. On May 19 at 10 a.m. ET, Fortnite players will be able to enter The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island, a Nevarro-inspired experience created by Fairview Portals and Beyond Creative. According to StarWars.com, the island will feature a special message from director Jon Favreau and an exclusive look at a 10-minute sneak peek of The Mandalorian and Grogu ahead of the film’s theatrical release on May 22, 2026. That is not just another skin drop. That is Star Wars using Fortnite as a digital lobby before the cinema doors open. Nevarro, Grogu, and a Very Modern Movie Preview The Watch Party Island is set on Nevarro, which makes sense. If The Mandalorian has a home base beyond “somewhere dangerous,” Nevarro is probably it. Players will be able to explore the location, step into…
Pedro Pascal Just Joined a Very Small Star Wars Movie Club
Pedro Pascal has worn the helmet, carried the show, protected the galaxy’s most powerful toddler, and somehow made “this is the Way” sound both cool and emotionally exhausted. Now he appears to have joined a much smaller Star Wars club: actors who receive top billing in a theatrical Star Wars movie. With The Mandalorian and Grogu heading to theaters, current promotional and cast listings place Pascal front and center as Din Djarin, alongside Grogu, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, and the rest of the film’s new big-screen lineup. That may sound like a tiny credit-order detail, but in Star Wars history, top billing is not exactly handed out like blue milk at a cantina. A Short List With Big Names The list of actors most commonly associated with top billing in theatrical Star Wars films is small and very heavy: Mark Hamill, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Harrison Ford, Felicity Jones,…
Jon Favreau Almost Gave The Mandalorian Its Own Holiday Special
Somewhere in a better, weirder timeline, The Mandalorian got its own holiday special and Peli Motto was apparently essential to the operation. In a new ComicBook interview promoting The Mandalorian and Grogu, Jon Favreau revealed that he once kicked around the idea of doing a new Star Wars Holiday Special built around Din Djarin’s corner of the galaxy. And yes, he even dropped one beautifully specific detail: “I don’t know how you would do it without Peli Moto,” referring to Amy Sedaris’ gloriously chaotic Tatooine mechanic. Honestly? He may be right. This Was Apparently a Real Early Idea Favreau said the idea came up back in the first season, before The Mandalorian had even aired. He was also careful to cool expectations immediately, saying there are no plans for a live-action holiday special and that it was something they “jokingly talked about.” But this does not sound like a random…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Premiere Makes Star Wars Feel Like a Movie Again
For the last several years, live-action Star Wars has mostly felt like something you watched at home while wondering if you still had time to squeeze in one more episode before bed. Now the red carpet is back. The Mandalorian and Grogu has held its Los Angeles premiere, with Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Ming-Na Wen, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and more turning up for the kind of glossy Hollywood rollout Star Wars has not had in a very long time. Page Six and Just Jared both covered the L.A. event, which turned the film’s final marketing stretch into something that looked less like another Disney+ chapter and more like a proper theatrical moment. And honestly, that matters. Star Wars Has Been Living on the Couch Since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, live-action Star Wars has mostly belonged to Disney+. That era gave us plenty: The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan…
Grogu’s Jedi Path Is Getting Weirder, and That’s Good
Grogu is not becoming a normal Jedi. Thank the Force for that. The little green chaos goblin at the heart of The Mandalorian and Grogu may still meditate, use the Force, and make everyone in a ten-mile radius emotionally vulnerable. But Jon Favreau is making it increasingly clear that Grogu’s future is not simply “tiny Luke Skywalker, but with better ears.” In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Favreau says Grogu is “not on the typical Jedi path of a youngling,” even though he has trained with some remarkable teachers. That includes Luke Skywalker, his time at the Jedi Temple, and possibly Yoda before everything in the galaxy became Order 66-shaped misery. That matters because The Mandalorian and Grogu is not just about a kid with powers anymore. It is about what happens when a Force-sensitive child is raised outside the usual Jedi system — by a Mandalorian…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Trying Not to Be Homework
Star Wars is heading back to theaters, and Jon Favreau seems very aware of one dangerous trap: making the audience feel like they need to revise for an exam first. The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in cinemas on May 22, 2026, marking the franchise’s first big-screen release since The Rise of Skywalker. But while the movie grew out of plans for The Mandalorian Season 4, Favreau is now framing it as something more self-contained — a film that still fits the wider Mando-era story, but does not require every viewer to arrive carrying a Disney+ viewing spreadsheet. In a new Total Film interview, reported by GamesRadar, Favreau says Dave Filoni remains “closely in step” with the movie, even though the shift from streaming season to theatrical release changed the shape of the story. That distinction matters. A Movie Cannot Feel Like Episode 25 Television can be dense. It can reward…
The Mandalorian & Grogu Had to Stop Being Season 4
Jon Favreau may have just explained the most important creative choice behind The Mandalorian and Grogu. The upcoming Star Wars movie did not simply become “Season 4, but longer.” According to Favreau, the story originally tied more directly into what had come before — and what was still coming next — but the film had to become more self-contained so new viewers could actually walk into a theater without needing a Disney+ homework binder. Speaking with GamesRadar, Favreau said the movie still connects to the larger Mando-era story, but in a way that is more approachable for audiences who may not have followed every thread from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. That is not just smart. It is probably necessary. Star Wars Cannot Return to Theaters With Homework The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a normal Star Wars release. It is the franchise’s big theatrical return…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Already Climbing Disney+ Before Theaters
The Mandalorian and Grogu is still weeks away from theaters, but Disney is already using its most powerful Star Wars machine to warm up the crowd: Disney+. A new streaming push around Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — A Special Look is already showing traction on the platform. According to FlixPatrol’s Disney+ chart for May 8, the special ranked among the top TV titles globally, sitting behind only The Testaments and Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord that day. Both ScreenRant and Collider have also noted the special’s early Disney+ momentum ahead of the movie’s theatrical release. That is exactly what Disney wants. Disney+ Is the Hype Engine Now If you are not sleeping under a rock, you already know that The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026. That is what makes Disney+ pushing the Special Look so interesting: the platform that turned Din Djarin and…
The Mandalorian and Grogu Is Getting a Prequel Comic — After the Movie
Din Djarin and Grogu are heading to comics, because apparently one tiny green merchandising empire was not enough. Mad Cave Studios and Papercutz, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Publishing, have announced Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — Danger in the Dark, a new all-ages comic one-shot set just before the events of The Mandalorian and Grogu. The twist? The comic arrives on July 22, 2026 — roughly two months after the movie hits theaters. So yes, it is technically a prequel. It is also arriving after the thing it leads into. Star Wars timelines remain undefeated. Din, Grogu, and the Anzellans Go Underground According to Mad Cave’s official announcement, Danger in the Dark sends Din Djarin and Grogu beneath the surface of Nevarro, where a crashed pirate ship is causing trouble in the lava tubes under the city. They are joined by a group of Anzellan allies, which means the…
Pedro Pascal Wants to Keep Playing Din Djarin After The Mandalorian and Grogu
Pedro Pascal is not ready to hang up the helmet. Or, more accurately, he is not ready for everyone involved in wearing the helmet to hang it up. Speaking during a London Q&A attended by GamesRadar+, Pascal said he hopes to continue playing Din Djarin beyond The Mandalorian and Grogu, calling the role the longest creative relationship of his career. As he put it, he would like to keep going “for as long as my body, or as many bodies as we put into the suit, can take it,” according to GamesRadar+. That is a very Pedro Pascal way of saying: yes, the Mandalorian business may continue. Din Djarin Is No Short-Term Gig Anymore Pascal first stepped into the role when The Mandalorian premiered in 2019. Seven years later, Din Djarin has become one of modern Star Wars’ most recognizable characters — even though the show’s central joke remains that…