Disney+ has unveiled what's coming next for the corner of the Star Wars galaxy built around The Mandalorian, and it's not the show most fans expected. For a while, the assumption was that Ahsoka Season 2 would be the next chapter in the MandoVerse, with some even wondering if it might be the last one. Whether that's still the case remains unclear, but a new MandoVerse project has leapfrogged Ahsoka Season 2 after it was pushed to early 2027. Until this new pick came along, Skeleton Crew held the title of the franchise's newest MandoVerse entry, having started filming back in late 2024.
Drum roll, please...the next MandoVerse project is...The Mandalorian (sort of)!
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian is an animated special premiering on Disney+ on September 2. Despite the name, this isn't a live-action series, and it isn't some secret substitute for The Mandalorian Season 4 either.
Directed by Chris Buckley and written by Michael Price, the special retells the story of The Mandalorian's three live-action seasons, with some The Book of Boba Fett mixed in, through LEGO's signature comedic lens, aimed squarely at families and younger Star Wars fans.
Most of the live-action cast is back for voice work, including Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr), and even the return of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant).
Two notable roles have been replaced with alternate LEGO bricks: Gavin Hammon as Din Djarin steps in for Pedro Pascal, and Carl Lumbly as Greef Karga takes over for the late Carl Weathers.
Taking a look at the official trailer, this new spin-off looks built for kids getting to relive (or experience for the first time) The Mandalorian's biggest moments, filtered through the familiar LEGO brand of humor and light-hearted twists.
It's not the kind of special that pushes the MandoVerse's story forward, and it doesn't appear to touch any of The Mandalorian & Grogu either, the film that took over the release slot Season 4 once held.
The question is now becoming how the MandoVerse will move forward after Ahsoka Season 2. Lucasfilm seems to be at a crossroads when it comes to adapting these stories that have been cultivated on Disney+. While fans are in a holding pattern for new announcements, here are three possible roads for the future of the MandoVerse.
Paths Forward for the MandoVerse
Stick With Theatrical
The most straightforward path is trying the big screen again. The Mandalorian and Grogu earned $345.7 million worldwide, a soft number by Star Wars standards (putting it kindly), but that alone shouldn't scare Lucasfilm away from theaters entirely.
After three seasons spent defining them as streaming characters, selling Din Djarin and Grogu as movie stars was always going to be an uphill climb. However, the film's reported $165 million budget (initially $144 million), notably smaller than that of any other Disney-era Star Wars movie, adds much-needed context to its underwhelming box office numbers.
A sequel could plausibly stick to a similar budget while likely earning more than its predecessor, now that audiences have been retaught that Din Djarin and Grogu are now theatrical characters.
No matter where they are, both remain incredibly recognizable, and Grogu in particular continues to be one of Disney's biggest merchandising and theme park draws.
There's a top-level scheduling angle here too: with no other Star Wars films currently confirmed to be in production beyond Star Wars: Starfighter, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni's team could easily ramp back up for The Mandalorian and Grogu 2 quickly if Lucasfilm and Disney wanted one.
Return to Television
The flip side, which is probably more likely, is admitting the theatrical experiment didn't fully pay off and bringing Din Djarin and Grogu back to Disney+.
The Mandalorian and Grogu didn't really wrap up their story either; if anything, the film left things more open-ended than ever for two characters with plenty of adventures still left to tell.
Nearly all of the lore and character work was built across The Mandalorian's first three seasons on streaming anyway, and after a two-hour highlight reel, there's still certainly an appetite to dig deeper.
It's also a good bet that Season 4 on Disney+ would likely draw a substantial streaming audience. As mentioned before, this duo may not sell a record-breaking amount of tickets, but they're still very popular.
Then there's the crossover movie Dave Filoni was developing to bring The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew storylines together, a project that's been pushed to the back burner at Lucasfilm.
Instead of letting that idea die, Lucasfilm could still turn it into a Disney+ event series. These are characters who were built up on streaming, and a crossover special might be a more fitting send-off for the MandoVerse, though not as epic as some fans may have liked.
Move Away from Movies and TV
Probably the most realistic option is the least exciting one: wind the MandoVerse down after Ahsoka Season 2 and shift the rest of the story to comics and novels. In short terms, kill the MandoVerse for general audiences.
There's currently zero live-action Star Wars projects officially announced beyond Ahsoka Season 2, and the pattern tracks with what's happening across the street at Marvel, which just canceled Wonder Man despite an earlier Season 2 renewal.
Live-action streaming TV is looking shakier for Disney's biggest franchises overall, and Star Wars may simply be following suit.
The good news is there's already a real comic book pipeline in place. Marvel Comics' has already adapted The Mandalorian's first two seasons and an eight-issue Ahsoka miniseries, and is expanding with a seven-issue The Book of Boba Fett adaptation.
Lucasfilm has already tested this approach, too, bridging Season 3 and The Mandalorian and Grogu with a Papercutz one-shot after Season 4 quietly became the movie instead.
Which path actually happens might depend on how Ahsoka Season 2 performs early next year, but most of the hope is lost. For now, LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian will be a reminder of how great this corner of the galaxy can be.
