D23 Expo saw the public release of The Mandalorian Season 3's official teaser trailer. Fans in attendance and at home were treated to an action-packed look at Mando and Grogu's next adventure, featuring a variety of Mandalorians, a firework celebration, and the husky remains of Sundari.
After Andor's 12-episode run this fall, The Mandalorian will be the next live-action Star Wars project on Lucasfilm's slate. 2023 is set to be just as big for the galaxy far, far away as this year, with Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew following Season 3 to round out a flurry of additions to the Mando-Verse.
When specifically these shows will come out remains a point of confusion. The Mandalorian is certainly first, with the next eight episodes currently deep in post-production.
Skeleton Crew has already wrapped filming, making it a candidate to drop before Ahsoka does. Season 3 is expected to have an early debut on Disney+ next year, but the teaser suggests bad news for Star Wars fans.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Release Window Changed
During Lucasfilm's presentation at the D23 Expo, the official teaser for The Mandalorian Season 3 was released. In the trailer, it was revealed that the next season will begin streaming in 2023.
This is a departure from the previously announced February 2023 release date shared by Jon Favreau at Star Wars Celebration in May.
Will Mando Season 3 be Delayed?
It's not looking good for Season 3's original February release window. Lucasfilm has delayed more projects than they've dropped on time, and there's likely a significant amount of visual effects work left for the project. It's possible that the company just isn't prepared to firmly commit to a date yet, hence the omission of a specific month.
But the delay of The Bad Batch Season 2 to early January complicates things. With Andor scheduled to wrap up in mid-November, the animated series will be the next Star Wars project to stream new episodes. There's an intentional separation being created between the various shows close to release, and Bad Batch may have been pushed back as a means of buying the Mando team more time.
There are a few possibilities for The Mandalorian's official release. At the present, the least likely option is the next season dropping on time in the planned February slot. An overlap of some kind is inevitable for Star Wars, so an early March release could also be in play. Unfortunately, next April is the most likely option, which would allow Lucasfilm to premiere the season at Celebration in London.
The Mandalorian Season 3 debuts on Disney+ in 2023.
