After a seven-year absence, The Mandalorian lands on Disney+ and could usher in a new era of Star Wars big-screen adventures.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, it didn't take long for the studios to begin working on a plan to revive Star Wars on the big screen. 10 years after Star Wars : Episode III — Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, the Skywalker Saga was reborn with Star Wars : Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
What followed was the busiest run ever for the sci-fi franchise on the big screen. Disney and Lucasfilm gave audiences five new Star Wars movies in as many years. From 2015 to 2019, the Sequel Trilogy began and concluded. We also got the first standalone stories in the series with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016 and Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.
There was a clear emphasis from the studios to release a new movie in the galaxy far, far away roughly every year. Yet, after 2019, Star Wars disappeared from the big screen. This wasn't fully due to a lack of trying or finding ideas. There was still plenty of excitement for the franchise and the direction it appeared to be heading in, but nothing came to fruition.
The result was the longest drought of movies since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. That officially changes this week with The Mandalorian and Grogu's release. The big-budget movie directed by Jon Favreau has been tasked with essentially relaunching Star Wars as a theatrical franchise all over again, thanks to the long gap and direction of the series over the last seven years.
Star Wars Needed A Reset After The Rise Of Skywalker For as successful as Disney's Star Wars movies have largely been, there's no denying that the franchise was in a tricky spot by the time Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker came out in December 2019. Lucasfilm had developed a history of troubled productions that they needed to solve. Rogue One's reshoots are well-chronicled.
Firing Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from Solo midway through filming and getting Ron Howard to redo most of the movie remains one of Kathleen Kennedy's boldest decisions. There was also the ever-evolving nature of Episode IX, which included bringing J.J. Abrams back to direct after Colin Trevorrow stepped aside. The fanbase had also become split due to various creative decisions.
Luke Skywalker tossed his lightsaber. Rey was a nobody, and then a descendant of Palpatine, and ultimately took the Skywalker name. Leia Organa floated through space using the Force. Kylo Ren got a late redemption and a dying kiss.
And, of course, somehow Palpatine returned. The movies' similarities to the original trilogy was polarizing. The lack of a clear plan was frustrating. The divide within viewers can be directly seen with The Rise of Skywalker.
It received the worst reviews of the Sequel Trilogy, and it also finished with the lowest box office haul . The drop in interest sounded the alarm for Lucasfilm. It was time to pause and fix things before the brand was further diluted.
They've now had seven years to figure out how to have smoother productions, determine what audiences want to see from future Star Wars movies, and naturally build up some desire for big-screen adventures with them becoming less frequent. The Mandalorian Paved The Way For Star Wars’ Shift To Streaming 2019 wasn't all bad for Star Wars, though.
Just weeks before The Rise of Skywalker's release, Disney launched its streaming service, Disney+, with the first live-action Star Wars TV show positioned as its flagship series. The Mandalorian immediately captured interest around the world as viewers met Din Djarin and were shocked to see Baby Yoda at the end of the premiere.
By this time, Lucasfilm was already in the midst of developing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, both serving as opportunities for actors Ewan McGregor and Diego Luna to return as fan-favorite characters. Once The Mandalorian became a global streaming hit and paved the way for Lucasfilm to make cheaper shows using The Volume, Star Wars fully embraced the small screen.
In the seven years that followed, Disney+ has been the home to three seasons of The Mandalorian, two seasons of Andor, and individual seasons of The Acolyte, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skeleton Crew, and Ahsoka; season 2 of the latter comes in 2027. That's just the live-action shows, too. The streaming service delivered Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, three seasons of Visions and Tales, Young Jedi Adventures, and, most recently, Maul - Shadow Lord.
The success of the TV shows originally helped fill the void left by the movies. There wasn't as much need to get the franchise back on the big screen, with viewers enjoying this new mode of release. But the volume at which they were released created some fatigue, and their quality hasn't always been up to expectations. Disney has since started slowing down its streaming output, with Lucasfilm and Star Wars following suit.
Lucasfilm Announced Several Star Wars Movies That Have Slowly Developed Just because Lucasfilm had success with Star Wars on Disney+ and had a lesser return on The Rise of Skywalker didn't mean that the studio wanted this movie break to last so long. Quite the opposite, actually. The studios had just gotten through a turbulent period for the franchise that still resulted in them making over $5 billion at the box office and surely much more with merchandise.
By the time 2020 was over, Lucasfilm had announced plans for three upcoming Star Wars movies: a comedy directed by Taika Waititi, one produced by Kevin Feige, and another from Patty Jenkins. The latter was announced with the title Rogue Squadron and was given an official December 2023 release date. Lucasfilm then waited until Star Wars Celebration 2023 to announce more projects.
Daisy Ridley's standalone Rey movie, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chino, was officially announced there and positioned as the next Star Wars release. A Dave Filoni-directed movie tying together various Disney+ shows and a James Mangold feature about the dawn of the Jedi were also announced then, signaling a concrete plan for the next few years. But, just one year later, The Mandalorian and Grogu was formally announced and became Lucasfilm's priority from a production standpoint.
Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling's Star Wars: Starfighter was then officially confirmed at Star Wars Celebration 2025. They received 2026 and 2027 release dates, respectively. During this stretch, Donald Glover shifted plans for a Lando spinoff from a show to a movie, Simon Kinberg began writing the first installment of a new trilogy, and Steven Soderbergh and Adam Driver secretly tried to get The Hunt for Ben Solo made.
However, most of these projects have seen years go by without any substantial progress being made publicly. The movies from Waititi, Filoni, Mangold, and Obaid-Chino all remain in development to some degree. But Feige's movie is no longer happening. Lucasfilm canceled Rogue Squadron, while Disney shut down The Hunt for Ben Solo from getting an official green light.
Lest we forget about the abandoned trilogies from Rian Johnson or the Game of Thrones creators, too. As a result, the last seven years have often felt like a time of unfulfilled promises. For all the movies Lucasfilm confirmed plans for, more have been canceled or shelved than those that made it into production.
And while multiple movies are now on the horizon, the larger picture for the franchise remains uncertain as Filoni starts steering the ship as Lucasfilm's president and chief creative officer. The Mandalorian’s Success On Disney+ Made A Movie Sequel Possible With so many different movies in development over the years, The Mandalorian and Grogu's emergence as the one to make it into theaters first is a bit surprising.
It didn't even become a concept until 2024, and it only emerged after strikes delayed plans to make The Mandalorian season 4. Switching the TV show into a theatrical movie franchise could be risky, but it was one Disney was willing to take after The Mandalorian's success. The show is responsible for introducing two of the most popular characters from Disney's Star Wars era, with Grogu specifically holding incredible merchandising value.
The Mandalorian's viewership has been consistently high across all three seasons on Disney+, and with Din and Grogu graduating to characters guests can interact with at Galaxy's Edge, there's no question about how valuable they are to Disney. So when it came time to really firm up Star Wars' movie future, it's no surprise the studio looked at a big-screen continuation of The Mandalorian as a perfect opportunity.
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Disney has years' worth of data at this point to feel confident in audiences' interest in Din and Grogu on Disney+ translating to box office dollars. The Mandalorian and Grogu's box office projections back up that belief, even if they are lower than some other recent Star Wars films. After all, if Disney believed this IP wasn't strong enough to potentially support a billion-dollar movie, then they would've just forged ahead with The Mandalorian season 4.
Making the movie at all is a vote of confidence that Favreau, Din, and Grogu can revive Star Wars on the big screen, similar to how the trio ushered in a new era for the franchise on the small screen. The Mandalorian & Grogu Is The Start Of Star Wars’ New Movie Era Disney isn't just counting on The Mandalorian & Grogu to be a profitable standalone movie, either.
This is the movie that holds the weight of Star Wars' future in theaters on its shoulders to some degree. Lucasfilm and Disney envision the feature as the first part of a new wave of movies set in the galaxy far, far away.
Next up, Lucasfilm has Starfighter dated for May 2027. The timing couldn't be more perfect, as Gosling is flying high after Project Hail Mary's box office success this year. Audiences should be eager to see him bring his talents to the space series and headline what is sure to be a fun, action-packed adventure. So long as The Mandalorian & Grogu reaches its audience in theaters, Starfighter will not be alone on Lucasfilm's calendar for much longer.
The studio and Filoni should work to solidify what other movies will come next. The first installment of Kingberg's trilogy, which might bring back Rey and other Sequel Trilogy stars, is a safe bet if a new Star Wars film hits theaters in 2028.
Furthermore, if everything goes right for The Mandalorian & Grogu, this will not be the last time audiences see these characters on the big screen. Lucasfilm will want to make a sequel and position this as one of the universe's main franchises for the foreseeable future.
After getting no Star Wars movies for seven years, The Mandalorian and Grogu is the first step in them becoming regular releases once again. 7/10 The Mandalorian and Grogu Like Follow Followed PG-13 Sci-Fi Adventure Action Release Date May 22, 2026 Runtime 132 Minutes Director Jon Favreau Writers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor Producers Ian Bryce, Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy Cast See All Prequel The Mandalorian Sequel Dave Filoni's Untitled Mandalorian Movie Franchise Star Wars Powered by Expand Collapse
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