After Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor enjoy their time in the spotlight, fans will return to the first-ever Star Wars series on Disney+ with Season 3 of The Mandalorian. Another batch of episodes expanding on Din Djarin’s intergalactic adventure will begin airing in the not-too-distant future, finally coming back to the bounty hunter's saga after The Book of Boba Fett took its spot last year.
When The Mandalorian last saw the spotlight, fans were freaking out over Luke Skywalker’s debut on Disney+ as he took over teaching duties for Grogu, kickstarting the youngling’s path as a Jedi. Mando also had a guest spot on The Book of Boba Fett, although he has new responsibilities and challenges ahead of him as he returns to his own solo story.
Filming for Season 3 finished in late March 2022, leading fans to hope for the new set of episodes to arrive on Disney+ before the end of the year. Recently, one of the show's leading actors even teased when the new season may start streaming, although it would be a major change of pace from what's already been established.
When Will The Mandalorian Season 3 Release?
During an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, The Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito shared when he thinks Season 3 of the show will debut on Disney+.
When asked when the show would return, Esposito said that fans will "get it soon" after Lucasfilm and Disney finish working on it. He believes that the show will debut sometime in Summer 2022, although he doesn't know about the specific release date.
“You’ll get it soon. I got a few things in regard to that to do to put some finishing touches on what I do, but I believe it’ll be sometime this summer. No date set yet, but coming soon.”
He also spoke on the process of coming onto the show in the first place, revealing that show creator Jon Favreau created the role of Moff Gideon "specifically" for him.
After joking about where all the money would go for the show, Esposito praised Disney for its work on The Mandalorian, specifically thanking the studio for waiting for him to be available to join the cast. He also shared that his only caveat with Favreau for taking the role was that he "must have a cape" in the series:
“Oh my goodness, Jon Favreau called me, said ‘I have good news and bad news.’ I said ‘What’s the good news?’ and he said ‘I wrote a role for you in Mandalorian, specifically for you.’ And I said ‘Wow, fantastic, what’s the bad news?’ ‘The bad news is all the money’s going on the screen.’ And I said ‘Is there more good news?’ And he said to me ‘Disney’s doing it.’ Wow, I have nothing but great things to say about this studio, about this franchise, in regard to how they have enlightened our children to mythology and to what’s right and how to go about doing what’s right, how to be in service, the Mandalorian service… and they have waited for me with such wonderful love and respect for me to come back and do what I do and love to do, so this is a great show. You say ‘yes,’ and then you say ‘I’ve got one caveat, Jon.’ And he’s like ‘Oh, what’s that?’ I said ‘I must have a cape.’”
Despite Esposito's words about "this summer," The Mandalorian Season 3 has been called a "safe bet" for a Christmas 2022 release on Disney+.
Summer or Winter for Mando Season 3?
Esposito's tidbit about Season 3's release timeframe certainly raises some questions.
The show's first season debuted the very day that Disney+ became available to the public in November 2019 while Season 2 premiered at the end of October 2020. The Book of Boba Fett followed a similar trend by starting its run in December 2021, meaning that a Summer 2022 release would be the first of its kind for Star Wars streaming in general.
In all likelihood, Esposito either accidentally misspoke or simply lied here to make sure that Lucasfilm and Disney's secrets remain hidden until the show is truly ready to release. On top of that, Disney already has a busy summer regarding projects from the galaxy far, far away.
Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to begin streaming on May 27, running for six full weeks before Diego Luna's Andor takes over likely sometime in August. Also waiting in the wings are multiple shows from the MCU, including Ms. Marvel on June 8 and She-Hulk after that, totaling four Disney projects debuting in just a few months. That's not to mention the theatrical releases of Doctor Strange 2 and Thor 4.
With Season 3 of The Mandalorian having finished filming only a few weeks ago, it will take the next few months for Disney to add the necessary special effects and editing work to bring the show to the masses. While the reasoning behind Esposito's quotes is unknown, fans shouldn't expect this new batch of episodes to come that quickly.
The Mandalorian Season 3 is expected to begin streaming on Disney+ sometime in 2022.
