The Mandalorian and Grogu is officially abandoning a major franchise rule by not using its groundbreaking virtual production tool that was utilized in the three seasons of its original Disney+ series. The Mandalorian pioneered the use of The Volume during its inaugural season and later continued to use it in the next two seasons due to its efficiency. This technology consists of a massive, curved LED wall that creates an immersive environment where actors perform against photorealisitic digital background.
Empire Magazine's special coverage for The Mandalorian and Grogu revealed that The Volume was not used in the 2026 Star Wars movie. Instead, only practical sets and selective use of green screen were utilized during production.
This confirmation of the lack of The Volume in The Mandalorian and Grogu means the franchise did not use a longstanding tradition that has proven effective across all three seasons of its mainline series. This move could be for the best for the Star Wars film, mainly because the story demands a cinematic scope that requires higher production values.
While this was clearly a step up in terms of filmmaking workflows, Star Wars cinematographer Eric Steelberg told The Direct in October 2023 that they experienced one difficulty with filming in The Volume, noting that it involved a lengthy prep time in order to "[build] these three-dimensional sets" that would show on the tech’s screens when the actors eventually shoot their work.
This revelation from Steelberg proves that The Volume is far from perfect and that it comes with challenges. It's also worth noting that The Volume was also used on some Phase 4 MCU projects, such as Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Directed by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian and Grogu is set for a theatrical release on May 22.
Why Not Using The Volume Is Best for The Mandalorian & Grogu
While The Volume is a more proven tool for Star Wars, the fact that The Mandalorian and Grogu leaned more on practical sets and locations is perfectly aimed at capturing the expansive nature of Din Djarin and Grogu's new planet-hopping adventures in the movie.
If anything, using practical sets could actually be its one big advantage over its small-screen, three-season predecessor.
The strategy of relying on physical sets actually worked for another Star Wars series: Andor. The Diego Luna-led series felt more grounded and immersive thanks to its on-location shooting, which is praised by fans and critics alike.
Avoiding the use of The Volume actually explains why The Mandalorian and Grogu look even better on-screen, and it actually resets the show's visual language, especially after three seasons of heavy use.
