The vast Star Wars universe is returning to the big screen after seven years with The Mandalorian and Grogu in charge of a new saga. The upcoming film is set to arrive in theatres, not far, far away, on May 22, 2026, so don’t go into Hyperspace just yet. Take a deep breath and allow us to catch you up on everything you need to know before you see The Mandalorian and Grogu.

The Mandalorian and Grogu serves as a follow-up to The Mandalorian series on Disney+, directed and written by Jon Favreau, co-written alongside Dave Filoni and Noah Koor. Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin, the titular hero with his adorable foundling, Grogu, by his side.

History of The Mandalorian and Grogu

In 2019, Disney + entered the streaming wars to compete with the likes of Netflix and Prime Video. The conglomerate presented all their classics and new originals from Walt Disney Studios, Animation, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasflim under one platform. As rich as the Disney + library was, one offering stood out the most: The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian lived up to the pressure of being the first live-action series in the world of Star Wars in its freshman season, boasting an amazing story with Oscar-worthy performances, designs and special effects. The series revolved around the mysterious bounty hunter Din Djarin, forging an unorthodox kinship with an alien infant, unofficially dubbed “Baby Yoda” until his name was revealed to be Grogu in season 2. As his relationship with Grogu developed over the show’s run, so did his connection to his Mandalorian creed and culture.

Season 3 saw Din reconciling with his brethren and sistren of the Forge to put an end to the Imperial Remnant, led by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), once and for all. After their victory, Din became an exclusive agent for the New Republic. In case you’re wondering where Grogu is in this picture, his unspoken bond became official as Din adopted him as his foundling, or son in other words.

Recommended, Not Essential Viewing

In an era of shared universes and long-form film sagas, the urge to watch everything in chronological order to understand what comes next can often be more intimidating than exciting. For those who have not seen any of the three seasons of The Mandalorian, or anything in Star Wars, but want to see The Mandalorian and Grogu, that’s totally fine according to Jon Favreau.

He disclosed that The Mandalorian & Grogu was made with newcomers in mind, not just existing fans, during an interview with io9.

“This is like season one, episode one. Somebody might have seen everything ‘Star Wars,’ and you gotta make it good for them because those are your people. That’s you. That’s me. But you also want to always have an outstretched hand to somebody new who may not have seen it before. You don’t want to be exclusionary. You want to bring the next generation in, and hopefully you could speak to both.”

– Jon Favreau

The Mandalorian and Grogu On A New Adventure With Old & New Faces

The Mandalorian & Grogu are not the only fan-favourite characters appearing in their movie. Academy Award winner Sigourney Weaver returns as the veteran X-Wing fighter Ward, to protect her little buddy Grogu. The legendary voice actor Steve Blum is back in live action as Zeb Orrelios to provide Din with extra muscle. Another character jumping from Star Wars’ animated side is the deadly Embo, challenging our hero Din Djarin to the showdown of the ages.

Jeremy Allen White joins the cast as the unsightly Rotta the Hutt, son of the equally hideous Jabba the Hutt, who was originally seen as a baby sluglet in 2008’s animated film The Clone Wars. The most surprising addition is Martin Scorcese himself, voicing an Ardenian fry cook. As for characters from the Disney+ series or lore at large: Boba Fett, The Armorer, and Bo-Katan, none of them will be featured as far as we know.

A New Hope

The Mandalorian and Grogu stands tall as the first in a new era of standalone Stars Wars movies, before Rey Skywalker’s new saga as a Jedi Master begins. Three years ago, new movies in development were announced at the Star Wars Celebration; Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s story about Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order, Dave Filoni’s ensemble crossover of Disney+ series, and James Mangold’s highly-anticipated Dawn of the Jedi, chronicling the origin of the Jedi.

Additional Star Wars films include Shawn Levy’s Starfighter, releasing May 28, 2027, Donald Glover’s Lando, Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, and Taika Waititi’s as-yet-untitled movie. Although the status of the latter productions vary between uncertain and doubtful, the Force remains strong with Star Wars returning to the big screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22, 202