The Mandalorian co-creator Dave Filoni explained why his Star Wars movie is moving so slowly, raising fears it may never be released. The Star Wars TV veteran has officially been developing a MandoVerse crossover movie since 2023 that will bring together multiple Disney+ series for a blockbuster theatrical event.
Across The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, Disney+ has told multiple stories that share the New Republic timeline. Lucasfilm promised Filoni's movie will "close out the interconnected stories" being told across the streaming series, seemingly with a massive cast to accompany it.
Dave Filoni Gives an Update on Star Wars' MandoVerse Crossover Movie
During an interview with Collider, Dave Filoni revealed his upcoming Star Wars movie is requiring a "long development" to get off the ground partly due to its placement in a "very large arc" comprising of his other Star Wars projects:
"It's a long development and one of the reasons why is that I love to work on very large arcs and I try to factor in all the things that I'm creating simultaneously."
Filoni is currently in production on the next season of Disney+'s Ahsoka on which he is writing and directing. He also co-wrote The Mandalorian & Grogu with director Jon Favreau, with the Star Wars blockbuster set to release on May 22, 2026.
He continued to explain his development process of asking questions, forming outlines, and "moving all the pieces on the board like a big strategy:"
"I look at them and say, 'How do we do unique things, what are unique set pieces, where is this story going, and what is the point of this story?' I ask myself these questions, I have general outlines and timelines for all these things, and I keep moving all the pieces on the board like a big strategy. That's the way I've always worked since I started on 'The Clone Wars.'"
Filoni chooses to "keep the future in mind while working on the present," giving the example that he is currently working on Ahsoka Season 2 and, as development progresses, it "might affect what's happening in the future:"
"You keep the future in mind while working on the present. So, right now I'm on ['Ahsoka'] Season 2, and as those stories develop, it might change things that might affect what's happening in the future."
Despite the hold-up on his Star Wars movie, Filoni was clear he is "constantly working at it" and has "several scenes" already mapped out:
"It's all a balancing act, but I'm constantly working at it, working out scenes and I know several scenes and where they would go, so you kind of plug it in as you go."
Will Dave Filoni's MandoVerse Movie Actually Happen?
Disney and Lucasfilm have announced and canceled Star Wars movies from countless filmmakers in recent years, leading to a frustrating seven-year gap between 2019's The Rise of Skywalker and 2026's The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Lucasfilm may have a track record of abandoning movies, but its slate has never looked so packed. The Mandalorian & Grogu will finally be released in May 2026, continuing the tale that began on Disney+, while Star Wars: Starfighter will go into production later this year from director Shawn Levy and star Ryan Gosling.
Find out the five actors who reportedly turned down roles in Star Wars: Starfighter.
The Mandalorian & Grogu will mark Star Wars' first foray into bringing its Disney+ characters and storylines to the big screen. If that proves successful, Lucasfilm ought to push forward with the master plan of connecting the MandoVerse on the big screen and a blockbuster battle with Grand Admiral Thrawn.
But if the notion of continuing MandoVerse stories in theaters falls flat, it's easy to imagine the Star Wars crossover relocating to Disney+. These storylines could be moved into future seasons of The Mandalorian or Ahsoka, or even form its own grand-scale Disney+ event series in future years.
Moving the MandoVerse grand finale to Disney+ makes sense, especially as the whole story up to now has been told there. Telling the conclusion to that story in a completely different medium and setting would not only be a disservice to those who have followed these shows closely but could also be considered jarring.
Star Wars has plenty on its plate for theaters with The Mandalorian & Grogu and Starfighter, along with three more from directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, and Taika Waititi, and a whole new trilogy from writer Simon Kinberg.
After wrapping up Skeleton Crew in January, the MandoVerse is taking a break until The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ahsoka Season 2 debut in 2026. Exactly what comes beyond those projects is still uncertain, but perhaps they will offer some clues as fans are well aware that a culminating crossover is on its way.
