The Mandalorian is the flagship of Disney+'s Star Wars era. The series launched alongside the streaming service in November 2019 and ran for three seasons, following bounty hunter Din Djarin and his Force-sensitive ward Grogu across the outer reaches of the galaxy. The Disney+ show gave us exciting characters, allies, villains, and other figures from across Star Wars animation. Lucasfilm did all this while introducing a post-Empire universe still struggling to find its footing.
The story has grown bigger with the aftermath of Season 3 ready to be explored on the big screen. The Mandalorian & Grogu is set for release on May 22, directed by Jon Favreau and co-written with Dave Filoni. It marks Star Wars' return to theaters for the first time since 2019, and it brings with it a roster of characters whose histories stretch back across several seasons of Disney+ storytelling.
Of course, the two title characters will be the main focus of the film, just as they have been in the series. Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin, the Mandalorian bounty hunter whose entire arc across three seasons was influenced by the decision to protect Grogu rather than handing him over to the Empire's remnants.
This choice cost him his code, his community, and his sense of purpose before ultimately rebuilding all three. By the end of Season 3, Din Djarin helped retake Mandalore from Moff Gideon and settled into a new arrangement, taking on sanctioned work for the New Republic.
Grogu also returns as Din Djarin's ward and Mandalorian apprentice. His journey in the series began as a helpless kid and then became that of a reliable partner trained by legendary Luke Skywalker.
He, however, did not fully embrace his Jedi destiny, choosing to leave that path behind to remain with Din and was formally inducted as a Mandalorian foundling. Grogu will enter the film as Din's apprentice, and from what we've seen in trailers, he's grown stronger.
Other Disney+ Characters Joining The Mandalorian & Grogu
Beyond the title duo, three characters with roots in Disney+ Star Wars are confirmed to appear in the film, each with a memorable history. and set to play significant roles in the story. The most prominent of the three is Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, the Lasat warrior who served as a core member of the Ghost crew in Star Wars Rebels for multiple seasons.
A survivor of the Imperial massacre on his homeworld, Zeb served as the crew's muscle and one of its most moral voices throughout the rebellion against the Empire. Voiced by Steve Blum, Zeb made his live-action debut in Season 3, Episode 5 of The Mandalorian on Disney+, appearing briefly alongside New Republic captain Carson Teva in a cantina, confirming he had joined the New Republic Defense Fleet after the war.
It was a short scene, but a meaningful one that quickly got many Star Wars fans excited. Ahsoka Season 1 brought nearly every other surviving Ghost crew member into live-action, yet conspicuously left Zeb out, but he's set to get another live-action appearance. We got the first official look at Zeb when The Mandalorian & Grogu's first trailer dropped last year. The footage confirmed a proper action role for him, taking down a group of stormtroopers with ease.
Then there's Dave Filoni, who also returns as Trapper Wolf, the New Republic X-wing pilot he has played in the series since Season 1. Filoni, who co-wrote the film alongside Favreau and currently serves as president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm, first appeared as the character in Season 1's "The Prisoner." In that episode, he's seen leading an X-wing squadron that intercepted a prison transport.
He reprised the role again in Season 2. Trapper Wolf's appearance in the film is a continuation of what has become one of the franchise's more charming recurring details. It's nice to see the architect of the Mando-verse get into the action himself. He's pretty good in the role, too, so it's only fair he appears as much as possible.
The film's villain side also brings back another Disney+ character. Jonny Coyne returns as the Imperial Warlord he first portrayed in Season 3, Episode 7, "The Spies," where the character appeared as a hologram during a Shadow Council meeting. He laid out an aggressive strategy of raiding the galaxy's hyperspace lanes, a position that put him at odds with the more cautious factions within the council.
With Moff Gideon defeated by the Season 3 finale, this warlord is now one of the last organized Imperial threats to the New Republic. Favreau teased ahead of the film's release that the character would receive a proper name in the movie and that fans would react to it. Of course, the name will likely be connected to existing Star Wars lore. Promotional images have also shown Coyne's warlord overseeing an arena with Grogu imprisoned nearby, indicating how big a threat he will pose in the film.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
