The announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu as Star Wars' next movie might shut down the chances of The Mandalorian Season 4 happening on Disney+.
Why The Mandalorian Season 4 Might Get Cancelled
As far back as May 2022, series creator Jon Favreau confirmed he had begun writing The Mandalorian Season 4. He later confirmed in February 2023 that he had finished writing the next season of the Disney+ series.
But Lucasfilm threw a curveball into the mix in late 2023 by announcing The Mandalorian & Grogu as the next theatrical Star Wars movie, which has since announced its release date for May 22, 2026.
The Hollywood Reporter explained the decision to shift from Season 4 to a movie for The Mandalorian's next outing came during last year's strikes when "things got re-evaluated, with plans shifting to the movie as the priority."
So with The Mandalorian & Grogu now the priority for Lucasfilm and Favreau, that leaves the obvious question of whether Season 4 will ever happen, and there are several reasons to believe there may not be another outing on Disney+:
Box Office Glory
The Mandalorian has grown a huge fan base over its three seasons to make it one of the biggest series of recent years, a symbol of the modern streaming era, and arguably the face of modern Disney Star Wars.
Due to the growing popularity of these characters, Disney is looking to capitalize on the heightened interest at the box office with The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Between how well The Mandalorian brand has resonated with audiences and this being the first Star Wars movie in seven years, expectations are high for the flick to turn around big numbers at the box office, possibly over $1 billion.
If The Mandalorian & Grogu can turn over such results at the box office, Disney likely won't be willing to "waste" Mando on streaming. Instead, Lucasfilm could find itself instead developing sequels for the big screen, leaving Season 4 in the dust.
Star Wars’ Big Screen Future
After spending years with a focus on Disney+ and streaming under former CEO Bob Chapek, his replacement, Bob Iger, is making efforts to refocus the House of Mouse on the big screen and re-establish the studio's box office dominance.
This includes Star Wars as, after years of trying to get a new movie off the ground, there are now four movies in development and set to release in the coming years, the first of which will come with The Mandalorian & Grogu on May 22, 2026.
With two further movie release dates slated for December 2026 and 2027, Lucasfilm is making a push to make Star Wars a theatrical franchise once again, almost five years after the last flick hit theaters with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
These efforts may see fewer live-action Star Wars projects landing on Disney+, as Ahsoka Season 2 is seemingly the only series lining up to begin production, with The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, and Andor Season 2 already wrapped.
Pedro Pascal’s Growing Career
Going into The Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal was mostly a TV actor, best known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Narcos. But since Star Wars brought about his rise to "internet daddy," the Chilean star has begun landing more movie parts.
Just in the coming years, Pascal will take on major roles in The Fantastic Four, Gladiator 2, Eddington, and more, on top of his commitments to The Mandalorian & Grogu and The Last of Us Season 2.
As Pascal has become such a busy man, he has taken a step back from The Mandalorian. This has sparked fewer helmetless scenes and less time on set in Beskar armor for the actor, switching lanes to more of a voiceover role.
As a two-hour flick is usually quicker to shoot than a full season of television, switching The Mandalorian to a theatrical franchise will leave time for Pascal to be more involved. This would also allow Disney to capitalize on the box office draw he is bound to become after movies like The Fantastic Four and Gladiator 2.
The Growing MandoVerse
Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's exploration of the New Republic era has grown beyond The Mandalorian, with the MandoVerse saga expanding into The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and the upcoming Skeleton Crew.
While there was a time when The Mandalorian was the only blockbuster series Disney+ had to offer, the streamer now has plenty more to offer across the Marvel and Star Wars universes thanks to the likes of Loki and Ahsoka.
Now that Disney+ has other hit series to carry it forward and continue the MandoVerse storytelling where it began, Lucasfilm can comfortably allow Din Djarin to make the jump to theaters and tell his future stories in theatrical form.
Jumping Storylines Confusion
But The Mandalorian starting its saga on Disney+ with three seasons of character and world-building, following it up with the next chapter on the big screen, only to bring it back to streaming with a fourth season could grow confusing.
Regardless of what happens with future outings for The Mandalorian, the climax of the interconnected MandoVerse has been confirmed to come in theaters. The saga will seemingly conclude with the Dave Filoni-directed crossover flick which will pit the heroes of the New Republic against Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Of course, one can only presume the events of The Mandalorian Season 4 would have been important to the future of the whole MandoVerse. And with those scripts finished before the strikes, one has to question whether that can be shortened from eight episodes to a two-hour movie or if major changes are required.
The Mandalorian & Grogu could also tell a standalone Star Wars tale that will land the titular heroes back at their cabin on Nevarro where Season 3 left them in time for a future season of television to continue their larger MandoVerse story.
The first three seasons of The Mandalorian are streaming now on Disney+.
Read more about Star Wars' MandoVerse:
