The Hutts are back, and in a big way.
This fresh peek also delivers far more about the overarching storyline and gives us glimpses of some of the heroes and villains we’ll be joining as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu planet-hop working bounty hunter jobs and encountering a wide range of nasty nefarious outlaws.
Scheduled for a May 22, 2026 release and directed by Jon Favreau, the $166 million space opera also stars Sigourney Weaver, Steve Blum, Hemky Madera, and Jonny Coyne. It’s produced by Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Ian Bryce. Ludwig Göransson, the original composer for “The Mandalorian,” returns to lend a rousing old-fashioned score for the film.
Set five years after “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” the storyline finds Mando and The Child taking on lucrative mercenary gigs for the New Republic tracking down scoundrels and killers.
Here in the latest preview we’re treated to sunset shots of X-wing fighters, a great look at Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta, portrayed by “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White, Din Djarin sans his iconic helmet, a gladiator battle with a Hutt, some sort of albino dragon serpent, and “Star Wars Rebels” fan favorite, Zeb. Finally, we’re introduced to “The Clone Wars'” dome-headed bounty hunter named Embo, a clever fiend destined to be the film’s formidable antagonist for our heroic pair.
It’s almost difficult to fathom that this latest “Star Wars” entry will be the first theatrical film in that storied franchise since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” and we all know how that one turned out. Nearly seven years is a long time for fans to have waited and there’s a definite risk that the bloom is off the rose, so to speak, when it comes to attracting audiences back into theaters for what at first seemed like just an extended episode of the Disney+ TV series.
However, perhaps time heals all and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” might be a true Lucasfilm savior after all. Is this is the way?