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…
Dave Filoni
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…
Ahsoka Season 2 Delay Leaves 2026 With No Live-Action Star Wars Show
Star Wars is not disappearing in 2026. But for the first time in years, the Disney+ live-action machine may be going very quiet. Ahsoka Season 2 will premiere on Disney+ in early 2027, with Rosario Dawson announcing the new window during Disney’s Upfront showcase. She was joined by Chopper, because apparently even scheduling updates now require a war criminal droid for emotional support. The announcement also came with a behind-the-scenes reel and images shown to media, giving attendees a glimpse at the next chapter from creator Dave Filoni. But the real headline is not just “Ahsoka moved to 2027.” It is what that does to 2026. Star Wars TV Is Taking a Breather If the current calendar holds, 2026 will be the first year since 2019 without a live-action Star Wars series premiering on Disney+. That is a strange sentence after the last several years. Since The Mandalorian launched Disney+…
Sam Witwer Says Maul: Shadow Lord Season 2 Has Pressure – Good
Sam Witwer knows Maul better than almost anyone in Star Wars. That is exactly why his latest comments about Maul: Shadow Lord Season 2 are worth paying attention to. The first season did not just bring Maul back for another round of snarling, scheming, and red-lightsaber therapy. It reframed him as a broken would-be liberator, a criminal strategist, and a dangerous mentor figure for Devon Izara. Now Season 2 has to deal with the fallout. In an interview with The Direct about Maul: Shadow Lord Season 2, Witwer said fans will not have to wait “too, too long” for the next chapter, adding that the team feels real pressure to keep discovering new things with the story. That is probably the best possible sign. A comfortable Maul story would be a bad Maul story. Maul Is Not Just Angry Anymore The smartest thing Maul: Shadow Lord has done is avoid…
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni Are About to Talk MandoVerse Future
The future of the MandoVerse is apparently about to become a very real conversation. Jon Favreau says he plans to sit down with Dave Filoni next week to discuss what comes after Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu. That does not mean a new movie, show, or fourth season has been announced. But it does mean the two main architects of this corner of Star Wars are preparing to talk next steps — and that is enough to make the rumor engines start coughing smoke. Speaking during a roundtable attended by MeriStation, Favreau said he is currently focused on promoting The Mandalorian & Grogu, while Filoni is busy working on Ahsoka. But once they are both back in the United States, the two will reconnect and discuss the future. MeriStation quotes Favreau as saying that after they meet next week, “we’ll sit down and talk.” The Movie Was Not Always…
Gina Carano Says She Spoke With Favreau and Filoni After Lawsuit Settlement
Gina Carano is back in the Star Wars conversation — though not, at least officially, back in Star Wars. The former The Mandalorian actor has revealed that she spoke with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni after her lawsuit with Disney and Lucasfilm was settled. In a new Entertainment Weekly report on Carano’s Mandalorian comments, she described the January Zoom call as a “let’s touch base” conversation and said it was important for her to “mend whatever” and make sure everyone was good. Cara Dune Is Not Confirmed to Return Before anyone fires up the rumor engines at full power: there is no official announcement that Cara Dune is returning. Carano played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, before Lucasfilm cut ties with her in 2021 after controversial social media posts. Disney and Lucasfilm later settled her lawsuit, and Entertainment Weekly notes that Lucasfilm’s settlement statement said…
Gina Carano Says She Has Spoken With Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni After Settlement
The Gina Carano story is not over yet, even if the legal fight is. After settling her lawsuit with Disney and Lucasfilm in August 2025, Carano says she has already spoken with both Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. The detail comes from Carano’s appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, later picked up by multiple outlets, where she described a post-settlement Zoom call with the two Mandalorian creatives as warm and surprisingly natural. According to Carano, the conversation did not sound tense at all. As quoted by CinemaBlend’s write-up of the interview, she said, “I’ve already had a conversation with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau,” describing both as “really lovely,” and said the call happened after the lawsuit was settled. She also recalled Favreau joking, “So, where did we leave off?” That is the headline. The more complicated part is what it actually means. The lawsuit is over, but a return…
The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 Are Clearly Connecting
Lucasfilm may not have dropped a giant timeline chart on stage, but after Star Wars Celebration Japan, the direction feels pretty obvious: The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 are not living in separate corners of the galaxy anymore. That is not a direct line from StarWars.com, but it is the clear read once you put the official Celebration coverage side by side. On the film side, StarWars.com’s official Celebration write-up confirms that The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026, and brings back Din, Grogu, Zeb Orrelios, and a new character played by Sigourney Weaver. The panel footage also included Din storming an AT-AT and mowing through snowtroopers, which makes it sound a lot bigger and more war-shaped than a simple side quest movie. Then came the Ahsoka panel. According to StarWars.com, Season 2 starts filming the following week, and the panel confirmed some very specific…
Mark Hamill Says Star Wars Is in Good Hands With Dave Filoni
As Star Wars edges closer to its 50th anniversary, Mark Hamill is doing what very few people connected to this franchise can do: looking backward and forward at the same time. In a new USA Today interview, Hamill reflected on the sheer weirdness of hitting the half-century mark since the original movie began filming in 1976, admitting the milestone makes him “feel old.” That part is pure nostalgia fuel. But the more interesting bit for where Star Wars is heading now is what he said about Dave Filoni. Hamill is clearly backing Filoni According to coverage of the interview, Hamill said he “can’t think of better hands” for Star Wars than Filoni’s, and pointed to one big reason why: Filoni learned directly from George Lucas. Hamill said Lucas was a mentor to Filoni, which in his view means Filoni understands George’s creative sensibility in a way that really matters for…
Filoni Had the Most Dave Filoni Answer Possible to Sam Witwer’s Starkiller Worry
Sometimes Star Wars lore is complicated. And sometimes Dave Filoni hears a problem, tilts his head for a second, and turns it into a very Star Wars answer. In a new StarWars.com interview tied to Maul: Shadow Lord, Sam Witwer recalled worrying that his performance as the Son of Mortis sounded too much like Starkiller. Filoni’s response was basically: that is fine, because Starkiller is deeply tied to the dark side, and the Son is the dark side. So if they sound alike, that actually tracks. It is one of those explanations that sounds slightly insane for three seconds and then starts making annoying amounts of sense. A very Star Wars problem with a very Star Wars solution Witwer told StarWars.com that when he first played the Son in The Clone Wars, he did not arrive with a strong take on the character and started to worry he was slipping…
Sam Witwer Says Maul: Shadow Lord Was Built for Newcomers — and Compares Maul to Jack Torrance
Sam Witwer has now said the quiet part out loud: Maul: Shadow Lord is not just a reward for longtime Clone Wars diehards. In a new YouTube interview, Witwer said the series was shaped so even people with little or no Star Wars background can jump in and understand it, which is a pretty revealing statement about what Lucasfilm seems to want this show to do. That matters because Maul has never exactly been a beginner-friendly character. His timeline is messy, his rage is old, and half his best material is spread across movies, animation, and a surprise live-action cameo. But Witwer said Shadow Lord was constructed “with an eye toward” new viewers, with the story designed to explain itself rather than demand homework first. That lines up with the official setup for the series, which places Maul on Janix in the early Imperial era as he tries to rebuild…
Dave Filoni Says Maul: Shadow Lord Will Finally Bring Some of George Lucas’ Maul Plans to Life
One of the most intriguing things Lucasfilm has said about Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is not about a trailer shot or a release date. It is about George Lucas. In the official reveal coverage for the series, Dave Filoni said he and Lucas had discussed Maul’s future over the years, and that Shadow Lord became a way of honoring some of those original ideas and finally bringing part of that unseen future to light. That is a big statement for a character whose post-Phantom Menace life has already been one of the strangest and richest arcs in modern Star Wars. For the wider rollout, characters, and earlier reveals, check out our Maul: Shadow Lord complete guide. This Makes Shadow Lord Feel Bigger Than Just Another Spinoff What makes Filoni’s quote land is that it frames the series as more than a simple Maul comeback vehicle. In StarWars.com’s official…
D23 2026 Could Be a Big Night for Ahsoka Season 2 and Star Wars: Starfighter
Disney has now locked in one date that Star Wars fans should probably circle in red: the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23 2026 will take place on August 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Official D23 event pages describe the showcase as the place for stars, storytellers, “exciting reveals,” sneak peeks, and some of Disney’s biggest announcements across film, television, and streaming. That does not confirm any specific Star Wars reveals yet. But it absolutely puts the showcase on the radar as one of the most likely places for Lucasfilm to show something new. Ahsoka Season 2 Feels Like the Most Obvious Candidate If one Star Wars project looks naturally positioned for a D23 spotlight, it is Ahsoka Season 2. StarWars.com said in January that the series was already in production for its second season, with Dave Filoni continuing as showrunner. That alone makes August feel…
Maul: Shadow Lord Is Taking Inspiration From Heat — and That Might Be the Best News Yet
If Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord needed one more reason to look dangerous in the best possible way, here it is: writer and co-developer Matt Michnovetz says Heat was a key influence on the series.In a new interview, Michnovetz called the Michael Mann crime classic “a good touchstone for Maul,” framing the show around a noir-ish underworld atmosphere instead of a cleaner, more traditional Jedi-vs-Sith setup. If you want the broader picture around the series, release rollout, and earlier reveals, check out our Maul: Shadow Lord complete guide. This Is Exactly the Kind of Comparison Maul Should Be Getting Honestly, this makes a ton of sense. If you are building a show around Maul in the early Empire era, the obvious temptation would be to go full revenge opera and just let him glare at people in dark corridors for 10 episodes. That might still be fun, but it…
Maul: Shadow Lord Gets Its First Full Clip as Disney+ Premiere Nears
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord just took a small but meaningful step closer to launch. After months of teasers, posters, and trailers, the upcoming animated series has now released its first full clip, giving fans a more direct look at how Lucasfilm wants Maul’s return to feel in motion rather than in quick-cut marketing bursts. Star Wars News Net and Jedi News both flagged the clip’s arrival this week. For a broader breakdown of the series, release rollout, and what to expect, check out our Maul: Shadow Lord complete guide This Is Where the Real Promo Push Starts There is a difference between a trailer and an actual scene. Trailers sell mood. A full clip has to sell rhythm, dialogue, staging, and confidence. That is why this matters a bit more than it might seem at first glance. Maul: Shadow Lord already had attention thanks to its striking painterly…
John Boyega Says He’s Had Talks With Dave Filoni About Returning as Finn
John Boyega has just given Star Wars fans a small but very real reason to start paying attention to Finn again. During an appearance at MegaCon Orlando, an audience member reportedly shouted, “Get Dave on the phone,” referring to new Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni. Boyega’s answer was simple: “I actually have, actually.” Multiple entertainment outlets have since picked up the moment as confirmation that he has at least spoken with Filoni about a possible Star Wars return. A Small Quote With Big Finn Energy This is not a casting announcement. It is not Lucasfilm confirming a new movie, series, or Finn-led project. But it is still notable. Boyega has had a complicated relationship with Star Wars in the years since the sequel trilogy, openly discussing disappointment with how Finn’s arc was handled. That is why this quote lands harder than a throwaway convention soundbite normally would….
Sigourney Weaver Says Colonel Ward Goes Way Back With Leia — and That Suddenly Makes The Mandalorian and Grogu More Interesting
For a while, Colonel Ward felt like one of those Star Wars movie characters who exists mostly as a name, a uniform, and a lot of fan speculation. Sigourney Weaver was in, the trailers showed her looking important, and everyone more or less assumed she would be the serious New Republic authority figure who sends Din Djarin off to deal with a mess. Which, to be fair, still sounds true. But Empire’s new coverage adds one much better detail: Ward apparently has history with Princess Leia. And just like that, she stops feeling like generic “new character in a control room” material and starts feeling like someone with real roots in this era of Star Wars. Colonel Ward Is Not Just Some Random New Republic Officer According to the new Empire details relayed by Jedi News, Weaver says Colonel Ward and Leia “go way back.” That is the kind of…
Empire’s Mandalorian and Grogu Coverage Just Made the Movie Feel a Lot More Real
For a while, The Mandalorian and Grogu has had that slightly weird Star Wars-project energy where everyone knows it exists, everyone knows it is important, but it still somehow feels a little abstract. Not anymore. Empire’s May 2026 issue is a full-on world-exclusive preview, built around new imagery and interviews with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, and Jeremy Allen White, and it is very clearly the point where this thing stops feeling like “that Mando movie coming at some point” and starts feeling like an actual event. Empire’s issue went on sale March 12, and Lucasfilm’s official film page still has the release date locked for May 22, 2026. Pedro Pascal Apparently Found Out About the Movie the Same Way We Did The funniest detail to come out of the new coverage might be that Pedro Pascal was not sitting on some giant secret master plan all…
New Mandalorian and Grogu TV Spot Keeps the Plot Murky — But the Movie’s Vibe Is Getting Much Clearer
Star Wars marketing loves doing this thing where it gives you just enough new footage to make you lean forward, and then immediately refuses to explain anything useful. That is pretty much where we are now with The Mandalorian and Grogu. A new US TV spot has surfaced, Empire’s new cover story is feeding the hype machine, and while Lucasfilm still is not exactly laying the whole plot out on the holotable, the tone of the movie is starting to come into focus. The New TV Spot Is Small, But It Does Its Job The fresh TV spot is short and pretty cagey, so this is not one of those “suddenly we know the entire third act” situations. But it does add a little new footage and keeps hammering home the same basic idea: this is still very much a Din-and-Grogu movie first, even if the scale is clearly bigger…
Kathleen Kennedy Confirms Grogu Still Won’t Speak in The Mandalorian & Grogu — and Says Filoni’s Lucasfilm Transition Was a 10-Year Plan
Kathleen Kennedy just dropped two very clean, very quotable Star Wars updates in a Variety interview — one about Grogu, and one about Lucasfilm’s leadership shift. And both are the kind of details that quietly tell you what era of Star Wars we’re walking into next. Grogu is going big-screen… and still won’t say a word Asked what it was like the first time she “heard Grogu speak,” Kennedy flipped the premise and used Grogu as the perfect example of a character that has to emote without dialogue. Her answer is blunt: audiences are going to fall even deeper in love with him on the big screen, and he never speaks a word. She also explicitly confirms Grogu won’t suddenly gain speech in The Mandalorian & Grogu — despite Yoda’s famous broken-English cadence. In other words: no “Grogu talks now” twist. No “cute sidekick monologue.” The character is staying in…
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…
Sam Witwer Reveals New Insights Into Maul: Shadow Lord — Filoni’s Mandate, Maul’s Motivations, and Savage Opress’ Role
Fans of Star Wars are getting a deeper look at one of the franchise’s most complex villains. Sam Witwer, the voice and live-action performer associated with Darth Maul for years, has opened up in a new interview about the upcoming Maul: Shadow Lord series — and what makes this version of Maul so different. In an expansive interview with Star Wars: Insider, Witwer went into detail on everything from Dave Filoni’s mandate for the show to Maul’s evolving motivations, his experience filming live-action scenes, and the role his brother Savage Opress will play. Here’s what we learned. “Filoni’s Mandate Was Clear” When asked what Dave Filoni’s mandate was for Maul: Shadow Lord, Witwer didn’t hold back. “Filoni’s thing was always centering Maul in his own story but in a way that feels earned and connected to the larger mythology.” Unlike earlier appearances where Maul was a secondary antagonist or a…
Katee Sackhoff Jokes About “Job Security Forever” as Bo-Katan in Star Wars
Bo-Katan Kryze might not be going anywhere anytime soon—at least if Katee Sackhoff has anything to say about it. In a recent interview, the Star Wars actress shared a humorous but telling insight about her Mandalorian character’s future, joking that she’s confident she’ll keep returning to the role for years to come. Why? Because Bo-Katan is closely tied to Star Wars creative chief Dave Filoni in a very personal way. “I Have Job Security Forever” Speaking about her future in the galaxy far, far away, Sackhoff joked that she feels secure continuing as Bo-Katan because the character is loosely inspired by someone very important to Filoni—his wife. “So I have job security forever,” Sackhoff said with a laugh when discussing Bo-Katan’s long-term future. The comment was delivered in good humor, but it highlights just how deeply rooted the character is within modern Star Wars storytelling and Filoni’s creative world. Bo-Katan’s…