George Lucas’ influences for Star Wars have always been firmly on his sleeve. With a mixture of adventure serials, Akira Kurosawa, and the Hero’s Journey, that galaxy far, far away has always been familiar – even while forging new paths. The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next step in that legacy, bringing the Pedro Pascal-starring Disney+ hit series to the big screen.
Now we actually have a trailer for co-writer/director Jon Favreau’s big entry into the Star Wars canon; and those influences are definitely present and accounted for. But as you’ll see in the footage below, you might actually find something some fans have been waiting for – hope:
Holy Sith. I’m not normally prone to such fan-friendly sayings, but I have to say The Mandalorian and Grogu looks pretty tight if you ask me. While this is more of a teaser, which will definitely be attached to the 2025 fall movie Tron: Ares, it gives us enough to really rev ourselves up over.
Of course, we see Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) being a total badass dad of the cosmos, and Grogu’s powers are serving him rather well in this mysterious new adventure. Though we’re not totally in the dark, as the official synopsis does give us these early details:
The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. 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 and his young apprentice Grogu.
Also on deck for the new and exciting additions to The Mandalorian and Grogu’s story are Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) and Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) – a veteran Rebel officer and son of Jabba the Hutt, respectively. I know it’s that Disney/Lucasfilm money coming in that helped secure these castmates, but I’m very excited to see what both of those characters represent on the road ahead.
If there was one word I’d use to sum this whole thing up, it’d be “excitement.” I know it’s a little underwhelming, but for someone who actually quit on the show after the Season 3 premiere, I’m surprised how much I’m invested in this first look. The expert use of Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson’s beautiful theme is one reason. Still, I would be a fool if I didn’t highlight this new poster that’s totally leaning into the adventure serial of it all:
The Mandalorian & Grogu Poster
Oh, that is gorgeous. But will this really be the silver bullet that the franchise is hoping for? We’ll have to wait until next summer to find out, since The Mandalorian and Grogu will arrive in our galaxy on May 22, 2026. That’s three days shy of Star Wars’ 49th anniversary, so the nostalgia could be with this franchise after all. Also, you can bet we’ll be getting more interesting looks in the near future, as we continue to follow the path that shows us The Way.
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