‘The Mandalorian’ Is Getting a Movie—Which It Should Have Been All Along
Today 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 line with Lucasfilm, will start manufacturing this yr with Jon Favreau, who created the TV collection and served as showrunner, set to direct.
This is the way in which, and possibly indicative of what The Mandalorian ought to have been from the start. Even as Disney tried to capitalize on its acquisition of the Star Wars franchise—and bolster Disney+ subscriptions—by churning out a number of street-level collection, an ideal lots of them have felt like films already. With the exception of, maybe, Andor, which is as a lot a political drama as it’s a Star Wars present, lots of the Star Wars collection have misplaced steam mid-season. If a present like, say, Book of Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi had been trimmed right down to a 2.5-hour house opera, they could have struck a greater chord.
Bringing The Mandalorian & Grogu to theaters additionally appears like one thing of a hat tip to the place Lucasfilm needs to take the franchise sooner or later. Last summer time, Disney CEO Bob Iger indicated the corporate is likely to be seeking to spend much less on its mega-franchises. Making a film that includes one in every of 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 huge names. (One be aware on that: Lucasfilm’s announcement didn’t say whether or not or not Pedro Pascal can be reprising his position as Mando.) Add in the truth that plenty of The Mandalorian to date has been shot on Lucasfilm’s digital set, StageCraft, and it’s a no brainer.
The deal with one character’s journey (or one character and his Baby Yoda sidekick) additionally appears of a chunk with the forthcoming Rey-focused characteristic being directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel).
The films from Mandalorian author Dave Filoni and James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) appear to be broader in scope, however Filoni’s, not less than, is meant to convey the plotlines of Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and The Mandalorian collectively. While 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 shall 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.)
According to 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.
