Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu embark on their most thrilling mission yet in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu!
The Empire has fallen, but Imperial warlords remain scattered across the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic fights to protect what the Rebellion won, they enlist legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pascal) and his young apprentice, Grogu. Directed by Disney Legend Jon Favreau and filmed for IMAX, The Mandalorian and Grogu brings the duo to the big screen for the first time. Also starring Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White, the film is written by Favreau & Dave Filoni & Noah Kloor, and is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce, Favreau, and Filoni—with Karen Gilchrist, John Bartnicki, and Carrie Beck serving as executive producers, and music by Ludwig Göransson.
With The Mandalorian and Grogu rocketing into theaters on Friday, May 22, D23 gets the inside scoop on the making of this incredible new Star Wars film!
Describing the film as a standalone adventure designed to welcome new audiences while also honoring longtime fans, Favreau explains, “The Mandalorian and Grogu is set in the era between Return of the Jedi and before the sequels. It follows the Mandalorian and his adopted son and apprentice, Grogu, as they venture off into the galaxy seeking out bounties on behalf of the New Republic... The Mandalorian finds himself more of a good guy in this world. He’s being a lot more selective about the types of jobs he takes and the situations that he puts his young ward into.”
“Their story started with Mando as a very reluctant protector for this mysterious child named Grogu,” adds Pascal. “Through their incredible adventures, they have become deeply bonded to one another. Mando has now placed his focus on protecting his son and preparing him for the future—and in the film, that dynamic has a lot of surprising and emotional shifts.”
“Grogu has also leveled up a bit,” Favreau continues. “We know that previously he trained with Luke Skywalker, so he’s got a little Jedi influence; plus, he’s an apprentice Mandalorian, which makes him very unique.”
The film expands Grogu’s development and finds the pair in new worlds, meeting new characters, and facing new challenges. “It’s time for Grogu to go out in the field and for Dad to show him the ropes,” says Favreau. Connecting the story to his own life, he adds, “As a dad, it taps into the sense of the hero as a protector. You’re trying to create a safe world that you’re leaving behind for the next generation... He won’t always be there to protect the kid, so he’s got to prepare him to make sure he’s going to be okay.”
Says Filoni, “Mando and Grogu are a great team, and the father/son dynamic is heartfelt and relatable. It’s a story about apprenticeship... it’s about one generation teaching the next.”
After multiple Emmy Award®-winning seasons on Disney+, taking the story to theaters felt natural to Pascal. “The Mandalorian always felt ‘big screen’ to me,” he says. “What Jon Favreau has done as a storyteller and film director throughout his career is absolutely incredible, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been secretly hoping we would make a movie one day. It just made sense.”
And creating the character of the Mandalorian is a true team effort. Pascal continues, “This is such a unique experience because not only does it take an enormous village to create a Star Wars movie with the incredible sets, characters, and all of the greatest crew members in the industry that bring it to life, but it also takes a village to play Mando.”
“Pedro is amazing,” says Filoni. “He is able to bring a tremendous amount of emotion through the mask. You feel his facial expression through the body, through the vocalization. It’s also important that he is such a great collaborator and understands what [stunt performers] Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder bring to the role.”
“I feel incredibly proud to step in front of it and usher it out into the world, but a great deal of the physical labor and authorship of this character has been in the hands of Brendan and Lateef as well,” Pascal says. “They give me all the tools I need in terms of selling an incredible performance and making me look like a badass. Much of what they do informs what I do.”
“If I tried to process what this would mean to the kid who dreamed about the Star Wars galaxy when I was young, my head would explode,” the actor continues. “The gratitude I feel for Jon for bringing me into this family is beyond words. Everyone works so hard on this thing. People put their entire hearts into making it as good and as fun as it can be. When audiences love it, it’s because everyone here gave everything.”
Explains Oscar®-nominated actress Weaver, who joins the cast as Colonel Ward, “I never expected to be in a Star Wars movie, but I’m delighted, and I am in love with Grogu. I’m afraid I have to let everybody know that he’s pretty special and so is the Mandalorian—and actually so is Jon Favreau. He runs a great set... a happy set.”
Weaver says stepping into Star Wars offered something different than what she’s best known for. “I would say the Alien universe is a much darker place than Star Wars, but they’re both about something bigger than the creatures,” she adds. “I just feel very fortunate.” About the production itself, “It’s a well-oiled machine, and the crew and a lot of the cast have been together for seven years,” she says. “That’s a great treat for someone to come in from the outside and be a member of this club. I felt very welcomed.”
Introducing Ward, Weaver offers: “She’s an X-Wing fighter pilot. She’s from the generation of the rebellion. She’s spent her whole life fighting for the Republic and fighting against the Empire and everything that it represents. She takes her job very seriously.” In the film, Ward enlists the Mandalorian for a mission that requires his unique skill set. “She wants Mando for what she’s heard about him,” Weaver continues. “He’s exactly what she wants to efficiently extract people she suspects of continuing to fight for the Empire.”
As the story unfolds, the relationship develops into mutual respect. “It takes them a while to appreciate each other,” says the actress. “I don’t think she’s thrilled with Mando at first, but she’s smart enough and experienced enough to really value his instincts. By the end of it, they each have an appreciation for the other’s strengths.”
“In a movie, you want to put as much scale and scope on the screen as you can,” explains Favreau. “You want to create creatures, adventures, environments. You want to create an experience that’s immersive. You want to give people a reason to come to the theater... Star Wars has always been something I associated with being at the theater—not just going once. It was that communal experience, being with other people who were cheering and excited to see it.”
Pascal says the big-screen return reconnects the story to the feeling that first made him fall in love with the franchise: “I think what fans can expect is to have one of the best times they’ve ever had in the theater, the kind of time I had as a child when I first saw Star Wars. It’s a fun ride, and it has so much heart.”
Filoni’s wish for the film is simple. “My great hope for the film is that it’s a celebration of Star Wars. It’s everybody back in the theater, with something they love...The anticipation of a great adventure, a great ride.”
See Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters starting Friday, May 22!