Credit: LucasfilmLucasfilm’s upcoming movie The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) hasn’t been without controversy. But at this rate, even bad publicity should be considered good, seeing as the big-screen continuation of the hit Disney+ series hasn’t been marketed much despite being the first theatrical release for Star Wars since The Rise of Skywalker (2019) seven years ago.
Of course, now that it’s a little over two months away, things are starting to ramp up. Last year, we got the first official trailer for the film, which sees Pedro Pascal don the beskar armor once again as bounty hunter Din Djarin, alongside the pint-sized Force wielder Grogu (affectionately known to fans as “Baby Yoda”). Check out the official trailer below:
The Mandalorian and Grogu Trailer Backlash
Unfortunately, fan reaction to the trailer ranged from mixed to negative, with the biggest complaint being that the film just doesn’t look like a theatrical reimagining of a streaming series. Din Djarin’s beskar armor is no shinier, and the Grogu puppet is no more improved. The overall color grading and saturation are also oddly bleak for such a large-scale project.
As such, fans were quick to point out that The Mandalorian and Grogu looks more like an extended episode of the series than a big-budget feature film. And speaking of costs, earlier this year, it was reported that the budget for the film is $166.4 million, according to the California Film Commission, via Collider, which is surprisingly low for a Star Wars film.
Since the initial trailer debuted a few months ago, things went quiet, despite the film marking the franchise’s return to movie theaters after seven years. Then, on Sunday, February 8, the Super Bowl arrived, bringing with it a roughly 30-second spot for the film:
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Retcons Grogu Just Three Months Before ‘Mandalorian’ Movie
But the “Big Game Spot” faced even more backlash than the trailer did, with fans blasting it for its odd style and tone (Din and Grogu being pulled on a tauntaun-led carriage while actor Sam Elliott provides a voiceover that gives beer ad vibes more than faraway galaxy vibes).
The good news? It got people talking. There’s no denying that fans are concerned about The Mandalorian and Grogu, not only because it looks like a feature-length episode of The Mandalorian (2019), which got three seasons on Disney+, with the latest being poorly received by viewers (and that was also three years ago, which throws the relevance of the iconic duo into question), but also, it doesn’t really look like a continuation of the TV series.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Drops Several Actors
If you’ve been keeping up to date with all things The Mandalorian and Grogu, then you’ll know that the film has left behind multiple key actors from the Disney+ series.
Since its inception in 2019, The Mandalorian built up an impressive roster of supporting characters, including Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), The Armorer (Emily Swallow), Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), IG-11 (Taika Waititi), Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand), and Cara Dune (Gina Carano).
Season 2 then went all out with its side characters, bringing in fan-favorites previously only seen in animation, such as Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), as well as original trilogy legacy characters like Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and even Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his droid companion R2-D2.
The Mando Film Has a New Cast (and New Characters)
According to the official casting list, in addition to all the promotional material we’ve seen so far like the trailers, none of those characters are returning for Jon Favreau’s film.
Instead, The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver (Ward), Jeremy Allen White (Rotta the Hutt), and Jonny Coyne (an unnamed Imperial Warlord), while Steve Blum is expected to reprise his role as Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios from the animated series Star Wars Rebels (the character himself is confirmed as he appears in the trailer).
Additionally, co-writer and the new Lucasfilm President Dave Filoni reprises his role as New Republic X-Wing pilot Trapper Wolf, having first appeared in the Disney+ series. But if you remember Filoni’s character, you’ll remember Carson Teva, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.
Teva plays a pivotal role in The Mandalorian, particularly in the Season 3 finale where Din (Pedro Pascal) offers his services to the New Republic Starfighter Corps captain in hunting down Imperial remnants, which leads into the plot of the upcoming film, as detailed below:
“The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy,” the official synopsis on StarWars.com reads. “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.”
Although Carson Teva first appeared in The Mandalorian prior to Gina Carano’s firing, he essentially replaced her character Cara Dune after she was written out of the show.
Carano was fired in 2021 after sharing controversial social media posts. Dune was then quickly written out of the series — her absence was explained in Season 3 by Greef Karga, who told Din Djarin the marshal had been “recruited by special forces”.
While Paul Sun-Hyung Lee doesn’t appear on the cast list for The Mandalorian and Grogu, a new Star Wars LEGO reveal appears to confirm that his character does actually appear.
Courtesy of Jay’s Brick Blog (via Star Wars News Net), one of a handful of new LEGO sets based on the upcoming film features the new character Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), alongside the New Republic pilot Carson Teva, which confirms he has a role in the movie.
The official description of the “New Republic X-Wing Starfighter” set even states “as seen in The Mandalorian & Grogu.”
Of course, it’s possible the wording is referring only to Ward and the Starfighter. However, another upcoming LEGO set features Cad Bane and Cobb Vanth (per The Direct), who were played in the series by Timothy Olyphant and Dorian Kingi (voiced by Corey Burton), respectively, and that box also has the Mandalorian & Grogu banner on it.
Will Any Other Mandalorian Characters Return?
Whether or not any other characters from the Disney+ series will return in surprise cameos remains to be seen; however, there are a few we can instantly rule out.
Carl Weathers, who played Greef Karga in all three seasons, sadly passed away in 2024. Gina Carano was fired from Lucasfilm (although she reached a settlement with the company last year). And Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon was seemingly killed at the end of Season 3.
Meanwhile, Katee Sackhoff, who plays Bo-Katan, has said she has struggled to find work since The Mandalorian, suggesting that she doesn’t have a in the new film. This is particularly interesting, seeing as Season 3 attempts to side-line Din in favor of Bo-Katan. But with an all-new cast, it seems the film is leaving the past behind. Perhaps that is the way.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to release in theaters on May 22.
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