- Hasn't officially been announced yet
- Scripts reportedly completed before season 3 was released
- Was reportedly set to begin production in September 2023
- Hollywood strikes pushed principal photography back
- Expected to continue the story of Din Djarin and Grogu
- Pedro Pascal expected to return
- Building up to prestige movie event helmed by Star Wars' new chief creative officer Dave Filoni
The Mandalorian season 4 is set to continue the story that launched Disney Plus’ adventures in a galaxy far, far away in 2019. Since then, we’ve seen a Jedi confront his demons in Obi-Wan Kenobi, gone to some very dark places with Andor, and visited a whole new galaxy with Star Wars: Ahsoka. But nothing has captured fans' imaginations like the tale of bounty hunter Din Djarin and his little green friend Grogu, aka Baby Yoda.
The Star Wars show's third season left things up in the air where the aforementioned duo are concerned, with the pair finally enjoying some much-needed downtime (more on this alter). Despite the season 3 finale having a sense of finality to it, though, Din and Grogu are expected to return with another installment on Disney Plus – we just don't know when that'll be yet.
So, what do we know about The Mandalorian's fourth outing ahead of its inevitable announcement? Below, we explain everything we know so far about its possible launch date and cast, as well as speculate on what might be in store for Mando and Grogu when they return. Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian season 3 and Star Wars: Ahsoka.
The Mandalorian season 4 release date: what we know so far
The Mandalorian season 4 hasn't been officially announced by Lucasfilm, but there's little doubt it’s going to happen. In fact, back in February 2023 – before season 3 debuted the following month – creator/showrunner Jon Favreau told French TV station BFM TV (via Entertainment Weekly): "Season 4, yeah, I’ve written it already."
But when will season 4 land? "I don’t have any insight on the schedule," executive producer and regular director Rick Famuyiwa told Deadline in May. "I know that Jon has written the scripts. I know he's excited about continuing to tell stories in this world, and so when and how that happens, considering everything, we’ll see. It’s certainly coming, I just don't know exactly when."
Production on this latest run of episodes had originally been slated to begin in September (per Production Weekly), but that plan was derailed by the writer and actor strikes that have brought Hollywood to a standstill for much of 2023. While writers returned to work in September and their acting counterparts doing likewise in November, a production start date remains up in the air.
Even after cameras have started rolling on the show's virtual StageCraft sets, we can expect Mando’s journey to the screen to be a long one. Principal photography on The Mandalorian season 3 lasted over five months, while the lengthy post-production period stretched over the best part of a year. That’s a 16 to 17-month process, so it's safe to assume The Mandalorian season 4 release date won’t be much before mid-2025 at the very earliest.
By then, it’ll be more than two years since Mando and Grogu – spoiler alert – settled down on Nevarro in season 3's final episode. That feels like an age away, but it would be comparable to the two-and-a-bit years that elapsed between seasons 2 and 3.
Curiously, Making Star Wars had also reported (before the site was seemingly shuttered) Lucasfilm was considering turning The Mandalorian season 4 into a two-hour movie. However, that radical plan is definitely one to file in the "rumor" column for now.
The Mandalorian season 4 cast speculation
Although Lucasfilm is yet to confirm The Mandalorian season 4 cast, we’d expect it to look like this:
- Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (voice role)
- Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder as Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (physical performance)
- Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze
- Emily Swallow as the Armorer
- Carl Weathers as Greef Karga
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Carson Teva
- Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto
- Katy M. O’Brian as Elia Kane
- Taika Waititi as IG-11
- Din Grogu as himself
The constants in The Mandalorian cast are Grogu/Baby Yoda and Din Djarin, the eponymous Mando – although, with star Pedro Pascal now tied up with HBO's The Last of Us TV show (and potentially playing Reed Richards in Marvel's Fantastic Four movie), much of his performance is limited to voice work. We’d expect that to remain the case, with Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder continuing to wear the iconic beskar armor on set for a hefty proportion of scenes. Not that Pascal is confirming anything...
"There’s such preciousness around even saying that I’m signed up for season 4 if it’s already written," he told RadioTimes.com in March. "I’m naturally a blabbermouth, but I really get protective of it, because I get a thrill out of the surprises that are in store for the audience."
With Mando and Grogu making a home on Nevarro, we can expect them to regularly cross paths with High Magistrate Greef Karga (Weathers) and assassin droid-turned-marshal IG-11 (Waititi). They're also likely to pay yet another visit to Mos Eisley-based engineer Peli Motto (Sedaris) who's been repairing Mando's ships since season 1.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of #TheMandalorian for their nine Emmy® nominations! #Emmys pic.twitter.com/D4LIWk2voTJuly 12, 2023
Despite the Mandalorians reclaiming their homeworld from Imperial invaders, Bo-Katan Kryze (Sackhoff), the Armorer (Swallow), Koska Reeves (Valdano) and Axe Woves (Kassianides) will still surely have a part to play. We can also expect X-wing pilot Carson Teva (Lee) and Moff Gideon ally Elia Kane (O’Brian) to continue representing the New Republic and the Empire respectively.
Beyond that, things get a lot more speculative. Over three seasons of The Mandalorian, plus The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, Favreau and Filoni have established a large cast of ensemble players, pretty much any of whom could appear at any time.
As the Disney Plus shows in this sector of the Star Wars timeline (find out how to watch the Star Wars movies and shows in order while you're here) build up to Dave Filoni’s climactic movie (more on this later), we can expect the Empire’s presence to ramp up considerably. Indeed, now that Ahsoka has brought the infamous Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) back from exile in a galaxy even more far away, he’s bound to start throwing his weight around. There’s also a good chance we’ll see more of the Imperial bigwigs who debuted in The Mandalorian season 3 episode 'The Spies', such as Gilad Pellaeon (Xander Berkeley) and Brendol Hux (Brian Gleeson).
We suspect reports of the demise of The Mandalorian's long-running Big Bad Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) may be greatly exaggerated, too. Whether his bespoke beskar armor allowed him to survive events in the season 3 finale, or he’s resurrected himself via a clone (he had plenty), we surely haven’t seen the last of this particularly persistent thorn in Mando’s side.
If the Empire is rising once again, the New Republic will surely rise up to match it, meaning appearances from Chancellor Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), and Ahsoka’s Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) are all feasible. However, we don't expect to see Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) as they're currently trapped on the world of Peridea in another galaxy. Meanwhile, fellow Rebels vet Zeb Orrelios (voiced by Steve Blum) may follow up his appearance in season 3 of The Mandalorian, too.
Temuera Morrison could add to his growing list of Star Wars appearances (the latest came in Ahsoka) – whether it’s as Boba Fett or a clone, such as The Clone Wars/Rebels veteran Rex. According to Star Wars fansite Bespin Bulletin, it's possible Boba could make an appearance in season 4. Wherever Boba Fett goes, Fennec Shand tends to follow, so Ming-Na Wen’s agent may also be receiving a call.
As with the third season – where Jack Black, Lizzo and Christopher Lloyd all appeared – we’d expect to see a few high-profile guest stars in The Mandalorian season 4 cast. That said, Lucasfilm tend to be incredibly cagey about such things, so don’t expect casting rumors to be confirmed until you see the actors with your own eyes on Disney Plus. One possible character to watch out for, however, is Ahmed Best's Kelleran Beq, the Jedi who saved Grogu from Order 66 (as revealed in season 3 episode 4's flashback sequence), with Entertainment Weekly carrying quotes from Best stating his desire to show up in the series' next installment.
The Mandalorian season 4 plot rumors
There are no details on The Mandalorian season 4, but we have a vague idea of how it'll begin, based on its predecessor's final episode.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of last season was Din Djarin no longer felt like the most important Mandalorian in town. Instead, that honor fell to Princess Bo-Katan Kryze, who reclaimed the ceremonial darksaber and reunited her people – both her own Nite Owl faction and the more hardline Children of the Watch – to take back Mandalore. They also relit the symbolic Great Forge, i.e. the beating heart of Mandalorian society.
Meanwhile, after aiding Bo-Katan in her efforts – and atoning for the indiscretion of removing his helmet in front of Baby Yoda – Din Djarin adopted the newly named Din Grogu as his son and Mandalorian apprentice. Now operating out of Nevarro and with a child in tow, Din Djarin approached sympathetic New Republic pilot/space cop Carson Teva with an offer: doing off-the-books freelance work for the Republic, tracking down rogue Imperials still active on the Outer Rim on a "case by case basis". This potential storyline sounds a lot like the Rangers of the New Republic spin-off that was canned after Gina Carano (who played former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune) was reportedly fired from the series for some offensive tweets in 2021.
The New Republic will need all the help it can muster, too, given what transpired in Star Wars: Ahsoka's final entry (read our Star Wars: Ahsoka ending explained article for more spoiler-filled details). Indeed, it’s established in canon (via Ahsoka and various Star Wars comics and novels) that the New Republic will be spectacularly slow to respond to the threat of these Imperial remnants who – despite lacking the military might of the Empire at its height – pose a clear and present danger.
"It’s actually the Empire that’s acting more like the Rebels [did in the original Star Wars trilogy], because their resources are on the downside," Filoni told Empire magazine. "But the New Republic is struggling because, while they’re all trying to work together, they have different ideas about how to be effective. That was an interesting story, and I think it creates a big piece of history where you can tell all kinds of stories."
While a few outspoken voices, such as General Hera Syndulla and Leia Organa (who establishes the Resistance in Claudia Gray’s novel Bloodline), realize that trouble is brewing on the Rim, the New Republic's complacency will eventually clear the way for Imperial super-fans the First Order to wreak havoc in the sequel trilogy. In other words, the Imperials Din Djarin encounters in his new role as a New Republic contractor could have pivotal roles to play in shaping the future Star Wars galaxy.
Although Moff Gideon’s trusted lieutenant Elia Kane has been content to pull strings in the background up to now – most notably erasing Dr Pershing’s mind, and with it his knowledge of Gideon’s experiments on Baby Yoda – the Imperium's remnants are becoming bolder in their mission to initiate the New Republic's downfall. 'The Spies' provided a hint of what’s to come, as the so-called Shadow Council (a group of senior Imperial officers) met to prepare for the imminent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn and discuss their mysterious Project Necromancer.
What the latter plan involves remains unclear, but seeing as necromancy tends to involve communication with the dead, we reckon it’ll have something to do with the return of the (supposedly) late Emperor Palpatine, who made a famous comeback more than two decades later in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. This could also tie into Gideon’s efforts to make multiple clones of himself, and Pershing’s experiments with Grogu’s Midi-chlorian-rich blood.
The Mandalorian season 4 trailer: is there one?
Seeing as new episodes are reportedly yet to go into production, it’s a bit early to expect a Star Wars: The Mandalorian season 4 trailer.
There’s no Star Wars Celebration in 2024 (it’s taking a break before returning in Tokyo in April 2025), either, so fans will probably have to wait until San Diego Comic-Con (July 2024) or – more likely – Disney’s D23 event the following month to learn what’s in store.
The Mandalorian season 4: building to Dave Filoni’s crossover movie
The Mandalorian season 4 is part of a wider tapestry of new Star Wars TV shows (read our guide on all of the new Star Wars movies and TV shows for more) set in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi. Indeed, they're all building up to a climactic theatrical movie that'll be directed by The Clone Wars and Rebels veteran Dave Filoni, who was recently appointed the iconic sci-fi franchise's new chief creative officer (per Vanity Fair).
The Mandalorian season 4 story will also impact on the other Star Wars content set in this post-Return of the Jedi era. Indeed, with the various shows intersecting more and more, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett and (presumably) Skeleton Crew should now be viewed as components in a Marvel-like shared universe; their own plotlines increasingly subservient to setting up the Avengers-style cinematic event that’ll be Filoni.
The film's release date is currently TBC, making it difficult to estimate how many seasons of The Mandalorian and its spin-offs Disney Plus will be able cram in before it lands in theaters. Favreau did tell Film Stories, though, that he hopes to make a fifth season of one of the best Disney Plus shows around, and will continue to churn out more if fans continue to be invested in Din and Grogu's story.
What we do know is Filon's film will tell the story of the "escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic". In other words, it'll presumably plug any remaining narrative gaps between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and explain how the Empire's scattered forces evolve into the First Order.
Take a look behind the scenes with Disney Gallery: #TheMandalorian “The Making of Season 3,” now streaming on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/KqlBRzt8eWJune 28, 2023
"Growing up with the original [films], Return of the Jedi [released in 1983] was the end," Filoni told Entertainment Weekly. "But then you're always like: ‘But what happens next?’ And then when Episode VII was set so many years later, when I was a kid, I never would've thought it would’ve been that much later, but it made sense. It created an opening where you go 'Wow, so a lot of the things that we knew before are probably in there. How do we excavate that?'"
As was the case with Thrawn – who first appeared in Timothy Zahn’s 'Heir to the Empire' book trilogy back in the ’90s – that could mean plundering more stories and ideas from the no-longer-canon books and comics of the pre-Disney Star Wars Legends Expanded Universe.
"When I was younger, we didn’t have movies, but there were comic books, there were novels, things that are encompassed in the [expanded universe] or Legends," Favreau added. "Clearly, there are decisions that have to be made to fit it all together, but for us, I think one thing we're in agreement about is that the characters – as special as they are – the story has to drive what characters are."
Regardless of how many more seasons of The Mandalorian (or any other shows, considering rumors are starting to swirl about Ahsoka season 2) there'll be, diehards and casuals alike can expect plenty more Star Wars to come – and we, for one, are excited by that prospect.
For more Disney-based coverage, read up on what we know about Andor season 2. Alternatively, find out what the best Disney Plus movies are, and which new Disney Plus movies have recently landed on the service.
