Fans have speculated about the fate of The Mandalorian Season 4 following the announcement of Lucasfilm’s upcoming film The Mandalorian and Grogu, with many claiming the Star Wars film is made up of repurposed scripts for the next installment of the Disney+ show.
Now, series creator Jon Favreau is setting the record straight in a new interview with Empire Magazine.
The Mandalorian and Grogu spying on enemies – YouTube, Star Wars
Favreau told Empire that he and Dave Filoni “were planning on doing a fourth season” of The Mandalorian and that he “had actually written all of that.”
He stressed that this wasn’t just early outlining but a complete set of scripts, adding, “I still have Season 4 sitting on my desk here.”
Jon Favreau attends the ‘London mural – inspired by the Star Wars series The Mandalorian’, to celebrate the launch of The Mandalorian S3, on February 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by StillMoving.net for Disney)
Favreau emphasized that The Mandalorian and Grogu was always conceived as a feature-length story, not as salvaged material from The Mandalorian Season 4.
According to Favreau, the difference is structural. He explained that the upcoming movie is “structured around a movie structure, as opposed to a serialized weekly television show,” giving the project “a larger throw” than the format of the original series.
A screenshot from The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer – YouTube, Star Wars
While Favreau made it clear that The Mandalorian Season 4 is unlikely to happen in its original form — at least for now — the characters and narrative threads won’t be abandoned.
Empire noted that the film will “tie in” to the second season of Ahsoka,” currently the only other active live-action Star Wars series still in production. The outlet also indicated that viewers won’t need to have seen Ahsoka to follow the movie, reassuring audiences that “newcomers who don’t know their Ahsoka from their elbow can jump right in.”
How those worlds intersect remains under wraps, but the broader political conflict teased across The Mandalorian continues to take shape.
(L-R): Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Huyang (David Tennant) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved
Deadline recently reported that Jonny Coyne will reprise his role as a member of the Shadow Council — the clandestine group of Imperial remnants aligned with Grand Moff Gideon. Their plans revolved around rebuilding the Imperial war machine and, notably, referenced Grand Admiral Thrawn, the central villain of Ahsoka.
(L-R): Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham) and Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) with Night Troopers in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The first trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu stayed largely focused on Din Djarin and Grogu’s standalone adventures, featuring action-heavy sequences, familiar Western influences, and comedic beats long associated with the series. Lucasfilm also confirmed that the plot will introduce Rotta the Hutt, son of Jabba, portrayed by Jeremy Allen White — suggesting the movie won’t solely revolve around the resurgent Empire.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is slated for theatrical release on May 22, 2026, while Ahsoka Season 2 is expected to debut sometime next year. Whether these two projects conclude the Shadow Council storyline or set the stage for a new era between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order remains to be seen.
(L-R): Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
But for now, Favreau’s comments make one thing clear: the movie is not just The Mandalorian Season 4 by another name.
Do you believe Favreau that The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t a repurposed Mandalorian season 4? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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“Connects to” Arsoka. No one watched Asoka. So, how is this a selling point to a global audience?
I don’t really believe Jon here, but I also don’t care anymore. The only emotion I feel in regards to Star Wars is a touch of sadness. The fact is, I no longer care about any Star Wars project in production by Disney. The fact that I, a life long Star Wars fan, feels such apathy to any new project in this universe is sad. But such is the apathy that Bob and Kathy have wrought.
I still have the original six movies and a bunch of great fan projects. In conclusion, I’ll quote Bill Murray, “So, I’ve got that going for me… Which is nice.”