Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars is gearing up for its long-awaited return to the big screen with director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is expected to arrive in 2026. Until then, however, new information about the film’s production is coming to light, including its rumored budget and start date.
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What Is ‘The Mandalorian’ About?
When The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm’s first live-action Star Wars show, arrived on Disney+ in November 2019, it’s safe to say that no one could’ve expected the sheer amount of Baby Yoda-related internet hysteria that would ensue. Starring Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter, The Mandalorian was soon renewed for a second season, with its third and most recent airing in 2023.
Although The Mandalorian was initially developed by co-creators Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau as a standalone story, the series has since gone on to connect characters from all corners of the Star Wars galaxy, including Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison), Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), with the latter doing a lot of the heavy lifting in Season 3.
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‘Star Wars’ Returns to Theaters With ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’
Last month, Lucasfilm caught fans off guard when it announced that a Mandalorian-centric movie would be heading to theaters in lieu of (or, in addition to) a fourth season on Disney+ titled The Mandalorian & Grogu. Favreau has been tapped to direct, but other than that, virtually nothing has been publicly revealed about the story.
While the status of a potential Mando Season 4 remains unclear, many Star Wars fans have theorized that The Mandalorian & Grogu will fill in the blanks between the Disney+ series and Filoni’s “Mando-Verse” crossover event, which is likely to premiere in either 2026 or 2027. From the sounds of it, the untitled film will mark the conclusion of the “Mando-Verse,” AKA The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Gets Exciting Update
Now, however, online rumblings seem to suggest that progress on The Mandalorian & Grogu is going quicker than expected, thanks to a recent report from scooper The Bespin Bulletin. According to the outlet, the sci-fi flick is due to begin on June 17, 2024, and is on track to wrap around October.
This makes The Mandalorian & Grogu a relatively quick shoot, given previous seasons of The Mandalorian have taken Disney and Lucasfilm six or more months to complete. Of course, this is just an estimate for the movie’s principal photography, as reshoots and pick-ups could happen later on.
As for its budget, some might be surprised to learn that The Mandalorian & Grogu will reportedly come at a far lower price tag than the Disney+ show. According to a source close to the production, the film’s budget isn’t as high as what a season of The Mandalorian would cost.
For context, the first batch of Mando episodes reportedly cost Disney $120 million, and it’s safe to assume that things got more expensive by the time Season 2 and, especially, Season 3 came around. With this in mind, The Mandalorian & Grogu is probably hoping to come in under that $120 million mark, making it a fraction of the cost of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015).
It’s worth noting that it’s not necessarily a bad thing that Disney and Lucasfilm are aiming to spend less money on their theatrical releases, as some of Disney’s other popular IPs, including Marvel and the Indiana Jones franchise, learned the hard way that bigger budgets don’t necessarily equate to financial success.
Given that the 2023 box office proved especially turbulent for the House of Mouse, it’s not unwise for Disney and Lucasfilm to cut costs where they can. Although $120 million might sound like pocket change compared to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘s (2023) eye-boggling budget of $300+ million, this would give The Mandalorian & Grogu more of a chance to become profitable in the long run.
Ultimately, Star Wars fans shouldn’t be too concerned if The Mandalorian & Grogu actually ends up receiving a lower price tag than expected, as some fantastic sci-fi movies released in recent years have been made for a similar cost. Plus, this might give Disney and Lucasfilm the resources they need for bigger projects like the “Mando-Verse” crossover event, Ahsoka Season 2, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey (Daisy Ridley) movie down the line.
Take all of this with a grain of salt, however, as Disney is notoriously secretive about their production budgets.
Are you hopeful for The Mandalorian & Grogu? Do you think there will still be a Mando Season 4? Let us know in the comments below!