'The Mandalorian' Season 4 Could Be Coming Sooner Than Expected, Hints Rick Famuyiwa

Though it may seem like it premiered just yesterday, Season 3 of The Mandalorian is starting to wind down, with just two episodes remaining before the finale—and it’s already leaving fans wanting more. Luckily, series producer and director Rick Famuyiwa just offered a hopeful update regarding Season 4, and it might be coming sooner than you’d think.

Katee Sackhoff and Pedro Pascal as Bo-Katan and Din Djarin in The Mandalorian — Credit: Lucasfilm

Patient Star Wars fans waited over two years for the third season of The Mandalorian, which finally arrived on Disney+ on March 1, 2023. So far, this season has been somewhat of a shift for its main characters, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda), who have since reunited following Grogu’s training with Luke Skywalker, as seen in The Book of Boba Fett.

Grogu being held by Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in 'The Mandalorian' — Credit: Lucasfilm

Instead of bounty hunting and gunslinging, this season has placed emphasis on further exploring Mandalorian culture, primarily through the lens of Din, a member of the heavily-guarded sect, the Children of the Watch. Acting as his foil and close ally is Bo-Katan Kryze (Kate Sackhoff), the former ruler of the Nite Owls and disgraced Mandalorian royalty. Together, the two pair up and set out on a mission to bring the different clans together. Now that she’s reclaimed the Darksaber from Din in “Chapter 22: Guns for Hire,” Bo-Katan might be the perfect leader to usher in a new era of Mandalore.

Emily Swallow as The Armorer holding the Darksaber — Credit: Lucasfilm

However, Din and Bo-Katan’s efforts may be thwarted by the lurking presence of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), who we have yet to see in Season 3. We only know that he escaped from having to attend a New Republic War Tribunal and that he’s likely commissioned the help of Bo-Katan’s former Nite Owls, led by Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides). There’s also a deep web of conspiracy growing within the New Republic, with double agents like Elia Kane (Katy O’Brian) secretly leaking intel to the remnants of the Empire.

Katy M. O'Brian as Elia Kane and Omid Abtahi as Dr. Pershing in The Mandalorian — Credit: Lucasfilm

With so much uncertainty leading up to The Mandalorian‘s Season 3 finale, it’s hard to guess what will happen next in Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s “Mandoverse.” But one thing’s for sure: Season 4 is on its way.

Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Carson Teva in The Mandalorian — Credit: Lucasfilm

It’s been confirmed for several months now that The Mandalorian will return for a fourth season, with Jon Favreau penning the script. While no official release date—or even an official announcement from Disney, at that—has been confirmed, according to Famuyiwa, creators are already “deep” into pre-production. Speaking with Collider at this year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, the producer said:

I mean look I don’t think it’s a secret that Jon Favreau is excited about continuing to tell stories, he’s written Season 4. I don’t know I’d be shocked if they just stopped making them at this point. But yeah, I think that just the way shows come together, and the process around the shows, I know that they’re deep into starting the prep and the pre-production process. Now exactly when it goes to lens and things start to shoot, I don’t know…

With production on the fourth season of The Mandalorian set to begin within 2023, this means fans could expect to see the new episodes as early as Fall 2024 or Winter 2025. In previous seasons, the show has taken four to six months to shoot principal photography, but post-production seems to be the tricky part. Unexpected delays also have to be factored in—hence why Season 3 of The Mandalorian took until March 2023 to come out, despite having wrapped filming in March 2022.

With a (hopefully) significantly shorter time frame between the release of Seasons 3 and 4 of The Mandalorian, it’ll be interesting to see if showrunners have a big cliffhanger in store for the current season’s finale. Or perhaps, creators are simply listening to fans’ complaints about having to wait so long between seasons. Nonetheless, future episodes seem to be well underway, and any update on a fourth season is a positive one.

Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) among other Mandalorians in 'The Mandalorian' Season Three — Credit: Lucasfilm

As per any major studio production, it’s hard to concretely say when The Mandalorian Season 4 will grace our screens. But for now, Star Wars fans can look forward to seeing Famuyiwa back behind the camera for the two final episodes of The Mandalorian Season 3, which arrive on Disney+ on April 12 and April 19, respectively.

Are you looking forward to seeing more of The Mandalorian in Season 4? Let us know in the comments below.