- “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will be the first “Star Wars” movie in theaters in over six years.
- Starring Pedro Pascal and directed by Jon Favreau, the film is set to release on May 22, 2026.
- The cast also includes Jeremy Allen White and Sigourney Weaver.
For the first time in over six years, “Star Wars” will be returning to the box office next year with “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
The first trailer for the film, based on the popular Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” was released on Monday. The movie, starring Pedro Pascal and directed by Jon Favreau, is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.
What we know about the movie
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” was first announced in 2024. Alongside Pascal’s masked Mandalorian character Din Djarin and his tiny sidekick Grogu, the cast also includes Jeremy Allen White as Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta, Sigourney Weaver as a fighter pilot and Jonny Coyne as an imperial warlord, per Variety.
The official description of the movie reads: “The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu,” according to ABC News.
In the trailer, fans see the Mandalorian and Grogu meet Weaver and White’s characters as well as fight a number of different evil droids and sci-fi creatures, per Variety. The two heroes are seen fighting what appears to be a Rancor-like lizard monster in Rotta the Hutt’s arena and they bring down a lumbering AT-AT, which dramatically falls down a mountainside.
“The action-packed trailer is a bit of a different vibe for a Star Wars film, and feels very lighthearted and family friendly,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
Grogu has the most screentime in trailer and the only clear human face shown is Weaver’s character, everyone else is either wearing a mask, or is a creature or droid.
As well as directing, Favreau also produces the movie alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Ian Bryce, per ABC News. The movie was filmed for IMAX.
“I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” Favreau said when the film was first revealed, per Variety. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”
Star Wars’ return to the big screen
The last “Star Wars” movie to release in theaters was “The Rise of Skywalker,” which premiered on Dec. 20, 2019.
Releasing at the end of May, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will kick off the summer 2026 box office on Memorial Day weekend, per Deadline. The movie will hopefully get an extra boost since there won’t be a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
The question is if it can beat the opening of “Lilo & Stitch” ($146 million domestic) this year to have the best start ever over Memorial Day weekend.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” was the last movie in the franchise to play over Memorial Day weekend and it is also the lowest-grossing “Star Wars” live-action movie, per Deadline.
While there hasn’t been a “Star Wars” movie in a few years, the franchise has continued to grow through a number of Disney+ series, per USA Today. Premiering in November 2019, “The Mandalorian” was the first of these live-action series and others include “Ahsoka,” “Andor” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”