The Mandalorian and Grogu: new Star Wars film announced

Baby Yoda, AKA Grogu, is set to make his debut on the big screen in a new Star Wars movie.

The director Jon Favreau has been tapped to take on The Mandalorian and Grogu which will go into production later this year. “I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” Favreau said in a statement. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”

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Details of the plot remain under wraps but Kathleen Kennedy, the Lucasfilm president, called the story “a perfect fit for the big screen”.

Since being introduced in self-titled Disney+ series, the Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal, has become one of the more popular and critically acclaimed new characters in the Star Wars universe. It was nominated for best drama series at the Emmys with a fourth season on the way.

As well as creating the series, Favreau has written and directed multiple episodes. He’s also known for directing Iron Man and The Lion King.

The film marks one of many Star Wars films on the way after a decision was made to focus more on exploring the universe on the big rather than small screen. “You pull back not just to focus, but also as part of our cost containment initiative,” the Disney CEO, Bob Iger, said last year. “Spending less on what we make, and making less.”

Daisy Ridley is set to return as Rey in a film from Canadian-Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who will become the first woman and first person of color to direct a Star Wars film. “We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away,” she said.

Other future films are set to come from James Mangold, Donald Glover and Taika Waititi. “It’s gonna piss people off,” Waititi has said of his film.

Lucasfilm has also announced and then cancelled a range of Star Wars projects in recent years including films from Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.

The last Star Wars film was 2019’s Rise of the Skywalker which made $1bn worldwide but received middling reviews.