The Big Picture
- The Mandalorian is getting a movie continuation, surprising fans and those involved with the show.
- Other Star Wars movies set in the “Mandoverse” are also in development, including one directed by Dave Filoni.
- The franchise is making a pivot back to the film format while still continuing with television shows, indicating a balance between big and small screens for Star Wars.
In 2019, The Mandalorian shook up the Star Wars landscape by becoming the first live-action series for the long-running space opera. Now, it looks like the adventures of the titular bounty hunter (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and his adorable green son are going to shake things up yet again, with Lucasfilm announcing that the story will continue with a movie. This comes as something of a surprise, as many involved with the show had made early, off-hand references to “Season 4,” though it’s entirely possible a fourth season is still on the way, with details yet to be revealed.
This is not the only upcoming Star Wars movie to be set in the “Mandoverse,” of course. Earlier this year, it was announced that Lucasfilm’s new Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni would direct a movie that brings together all the story arcs of this era of interconnected shows — that is to say, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Skeleton Crew. What this means for the rest of these series, particularly Ahsoka, which recently ended its first season on a cliffhanger, is still up in the air, but this certainly suggests its entirely possible for any of them to continue in a movie format, rather than a TV season (a Boba and Fennec-focused movie, anyone? The stars are certainly game to continue.).
The Mandalorian Season 3 ended somehow both conclusively and very open-ended. While Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) finally united the Mandalorians under her banner, determined to rebuild the home they lost, Din and Grogu opted instead for a quiet life on a homestead, not a darksaber or Jedi Master in sight. While it’s likely the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s (Lars Mikkelsen) return will be saved for Filoni’s movie, that’s not to say a threat like Moff Gideon’s Shadow Council isn’t enough to call Din to one last adventure. Or more likely second-to-last.
Is ‘Star Wars’ Headed Back to the Movies?
It’s interesting to see that the franchise that so recently went all-in on streaming television is making such a pivot back to the film format, but perhaps this is an indication that Star Wars will soon appear on both the big and small screens. The move is an exciting one if true: balance, after all, is at the heart of Star Wars. Apart from the two Mandalorian-focused movies we can expect, there is also James Mangold‘s movie focused on the dawn of the Jedi, and the Daisy Ridley-led Rey movie from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
On the television side, there is the aforementioned Skeleton Crew, starring Jude Law, as well as a second season of Andor, Tony Gilroy‘s Rogue One prequel series led by Diego Luna. There is also the upcoming High Republic-set The Acolyte from showrunner Leslye Headland boasting a talented ensemble cast, and expected to premiere next year.
All three seasons of The Mandalorian are streaming now on Disney+.
The Mandalorian
The travels of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
- Release Date
- November 12, 2019
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Rating
- TV-14
- Seasons
- 3
