Right now in information we weren’t anticipating within the second week of 2024: The Mandalorian is getting a film. Titled The Mandalorian & Grogu, the film, in accordance with Lucasfilm, will start manufacturing this 12 months with Jon Favreau, who created the TV sequence and served as showrunner, set to direct.
That is the way in which, and possibly indicative of what The Mandalorian ought to have been from the start. Whilst Disney tried to capitalize on its acquisition of the Star Wars franchise—and bolster Disney+ subscriptions—by churning out plenty of street-level sequence, a terrific a lot of them have felt like films already. Except, maybe, Andor, which is as a lot a political drama as it’s a Star Wars present, most of the Star Wars sequence have misplaced steam mid-season. If a present like, say, E-book of Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi had been trimmed right down to a 2.5-hour area opera, they could have struck a greater chord.
Bringing The Mandalorian & Grogu to theaters additionally looks like one thing of a hat tip to the place Lucasfilm desires to take the franchise sooner or later. Final summer season, Disney CEO Bob Iger indicated the corporate may be trying to spend much less on its mega-franchises. Making a film that includes one among a Star Wars present’s most beloved characters achieves that with out ramping up a whole galaxy-spanning movie—or trilogy of them—full of massive names. (One word on that: Lucasfilm’s announcement didn’t say whether or not or not Pedro Pascal could be reprising his position as Mando.) Add in the truth that lots of The Mandalorian up to now has been shot on Lucasfilm’s digital set, StageCraft, and it’s a no brainer.
The concentrate on one character’s journey (or one character and his Child Yoda sidekick) additionally appears of a chunk with the forthcoming Rey-focused characteristic being directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel).
The flicks from Mandalorian author Dave Filoni and James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Future) appear to be broader in scope, however Filoni’s, at the very least, is meant to convey the plotlines of Ahsoka, The E-book of Boba Fett, and The Mandalorian collectively. Whereas somebody like Luke or Rey has usually been the hero on a journey in a Star Wars film, they’ve all the time been joined by Hans, Leias, Finns, and Poes. Making a Mando movie, then, is a sign not all of them might be ensemble affairs on the identical degree. (It additionally offers this author hope that Shawn Levy’s forthcoming Star Wars film may simply be a buddy comedy that includes Jabba the Hutt and Salacious B. Crumb.)
In keeping with the film’s announcement, The Mandalorian & Grogu “will lead Lucasfilm’s feature-development slate,” which incorporates Filoni, Mangold, and Obaid-Chinoy’s films. No launch date has been set, however, as The Hollywood Reporter factors out, the studio does have a Star Wars characteristic on the calendar for December 19, 2025.