With three seasons now on Disney+, The Mandalorian has claimed its place in the vast Star Wars canon. The enigma of bounty hunter Din Djarin and the irresistible cuteness of Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, have made the Star Wars spin-off a bonafide pop culture phenomenon — and proof that not all Star Wars stories have to be about Skywalkers all the time. The future is a little less certain, however. While The Mandalorian Season 4 once felt inevitable, the announcement of a theatrical movie — titled The Mandalorian & Grogu — changes things.
Here’s all we know so far about The Mandalorian Season 4, from its overall status to when the release date may arrive to who we expect to see in the cast.
Will there be The Mandalorian Season 4?
Yes! Maybe? It’s complicated. See, a fourth season of The Mandalorian was written, but with a movie in store, Lucasfilm’s plans may change to turn The Mandalorian into a movie franchise.
On February 20, 2023, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau told French outlet BFM that he had completed writing Season 4.
“Season 4, I’ve written it already,” Favreau said. “We have to know where we’re going to tell a fully-formed story. We had mapped it out, Dave [Filoni] and I, and then slowly you start to write each episode.”
Weeks later, in April 2023, at Star Wars Celebration Europe, director Rick Famuyiwa openly speculated that cameras for Season 4 could start rolling later that year. But by summertime, everything changed. The dual labor strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA — the unions representing Hollywood’s writers and actors respectively — brought the industry to a screeching halt. While the strikes ended by November, it was too late for The Mandalorian to start production before the end of the year.
Then came the big announcement. On January 9, 2024, Lucasfilm revealed The Mandalorian & Grogu, a theatrical spin-off of the series. Days later, on January 14, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter’s newsletter Heat Vision reported from insider sources that Lucasfilm had spent the strikes reevaluating its Star Wars plans. This includes a potential pivot for The Mandalorian from a streaming series to a movie franchise. The sub-franchise’s ultimate direction will be decided based on the box office performance of The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Wrote THR: “What happens to season four now is unclear. It’s definitely not a given. If the movie is a success, it could lead to the next phase of Mando storytelling becoming movie sequels. Box office and fan reaction would determine that.”
Is there a The Mandalorian Season 4 release date?
It is unknown when, or even if, The Mandalorian Season 4 will start streaming on Disney+.
The priority for Disney and Lucasfilm is to complete The Mandalorian & Grogu before deciding how it will continue, including whether to proceed with Season 4. At CinemaCon in April 2024, Disney set The Mandalorian & Grogu’s theatrical release date for May 22, 2026. Production commenced later that summer; Favreau appeared at D23 on August 10 and said filming started “weeks ago.”
If The Mandalorian & Grogu is a success in theaters, that may permanently cement The Mandalorian as a theatrical franchise and therefore end the streaming series. On the other hand, if the box office performance is less than spectacular, Din Djarin and Grogu may return to Disney+ exclusively. If this is the case, it’s possible The Mandalorian Season 4 could drop on Disney+ in 2027, barring any more obstacles.
What is the plot of The Mandalorian Season 4?
The end of The Mandalorian Season 3 saw a resolution of most of the show’s major plot threads, with Din Djarin and Grogu settling into a new status quo. The Season 3 finale ended with Din Djarin moving into a humble cabin on the outskirts of Nevarro. Grogu was formally adopted by Din Djarin and renamed “Din Grogu,” to embark on his training as a Mandalorian bounty hunter.
Nothing is known about the plot and story of The Mandalorian & Grogu, let alone Season 4. Jon Favreau has not openly discussed the story of The Mandalorian & Grogu, nor has he revealed what has become of his original Season 4 scripts. Fans can only assume Favreau has adapted his Season 4 scripts – and whatever story they told – into The Mandalorian & Grogu, but this is not confirmed.
Is there a trailer for The Mandalorian Season 4?
There is no trailer for The Mandalorian Season 4. While filming began for The Mandalorian & Grogu circa late July 2024, none of that footage has been released nor has a trailer. With The Mandalorian & Grogu still in production, it will be a while before anyone sees anything from Season 4.
Who is in the cast for The Mandalorian Season 4?
A full cast list for The Mandalorian Season 4 is not confirmed. With The Mandalorian & Grogu still in production, it will be a while before anything is known about Season 4, especially regarding what actors may or may not return.
The only actor guaranteed to return for The Mandalorian Season 4 is Pedro Pascal, who has portrayed Din Djarin/The Mandalorian in voiceover since the show launched in 2019.
However, The Mandalorian (and its surrounding Mando-verse) has a sprawling cast of characters who could potentially play small or large roles in future adventures, including:
- Carl Weathers as Greef Karga
- Emily Swallow as The Armorer
- Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano
- Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett
- Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze
- Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand
- Omid Abtahi as Doctor Pershing
- Katy M. O’Brian as Elia Kane
- Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth
- Bill Burr as Migs Mayfield
- Dave Filoni as Trapper Wolf
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Captain Carson Teva
- And even a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
How many seasons of The Mandalorian will there be in total?
There is no information regarding how many seasons The Mandalorian will run in total.
In March 2023, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni appeared on Entertainment Weekly’s dedicated Star Wars podcast Dagobah Dispatch and discussed the show’s future conclusion. (Remember: This was before the announcement of The Mandalorian & Grogu.)
Neither Favreau nor Filoni were willing to say how many seasons The Mandalorian is meant to run. Favreau only said that he is having “a really enjoyable moment” and that the show will continue as long as the audience remains on board.
“I don't know what would make me not enjoy doing it, especially as long as the audience is connecting with these characters,” Favreau said. “This feels like a really enjoyable moment. And I love this format of telling one chapter at a time and keeping the audience guessing, but also fulfilling certain expectations.”
In other words: Jon Favreau has spoken.
