The Mandalorian and Grogu will show a "changed" version of the Disney+ series' helmeted hero, director Jon Favreau has said, following three seasons of character growth.
Din Djarin's big screen debut will pick up the character's story following the events of The Mandalorian's third season finale, which saw the bounty finally hang up his blaster for something of a quieter life looking after Baby Yoda, AKA Grogu.
By this point, Djarin has established himself as a hero to more than the audience — he's caught the attention of the New Republic and is brushing shoulders with Star Wars Rebels' Zeb Orrelios. And it's this journey that viewers will see continue next year, Favreau teased.
"The Mandalorian has changed his priorities," Favreau told Empire. "One of the last things we say [in Season 3] is, like, 'I don't want to go out there and just be a hired gun. I want to work for the good guys."
It's this desire to do good in the galaxy that will see Djarin meet Sigourney Weaver's new character Colonel Ward, and go on a mission with Zeb proper. "Now we get to really have fun with him," Favreau said of Zeb, Rebels' purple alien. "He’s such a compelling character, even if you’ve never seen Rebels, between the voice, the swagger, and the physical ability."
The development of Djarin's mindset makes sense not just for character himself, but also for what Disney still has planned for this current era of New Republic storytelling, which will also continue on the smaller screen with a second season of Ahsoka.
Fans are still hopeful that Lucasfilm will wrap up the storylines from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew in a big event movie — perhaps resolving the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn? — something that Star Wars writer and director Dave Filoni has said he's working on in the past. Exactly when that might arrive, however, is unknown.
But before all that, The Mandalorian and Grogu must set the stage, and win over an audience that hasn't been given a Star Wars movie in seven years, since 2019's highly-divisive Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Thankfully, The Mandalorian's winning core relationship between Djarin and Grogu will remain the new film's focus, Favreau concluded. "That central relationship, as they go off and face adventure together, that's the underpinning of the film," he said. "Star Wars is always about progression and growth and characters evolving, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. It's about apprenticeship, it's about one generation teaching the next. There's more growth that happens over the course of the film."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
