The Mando-Verse is poised to further expand, with or without The Mandalorian season 4, which has been teased since September 2020. Starring Pedro Pascal alongside Chris Bartlett, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito, the space western action-adventure series created by Jon Favreau premiered for its first season when Disney+ launched in November 2019. The massive viewership and positive critical response saw the arrival of season 2 in October 2020, which quickly became the most-watched series on a streaming service in the United States.
Season 3 premiered in March 2023, with its ending setting up a huge arc for another outing that connects to other Star Wars stories set in the Mando-Verse. Esposito first hinted at that before the premiere of season 2. In a September 2020 interview with People, the Moff Gideon actor divulged that the second season would only “lay the groundwork for the depth and breadth that’s gonna come in season 3 and season 4, where you’re really gonna start to get answers.” It’s been over three years since then, and a lot has changed.
Will There Be The Mandalorian Season 4?
Teased for years, The Mandalorian season 4 had been a question of when and not if; this has changed. In the past, several key players involved alluded to a fourth season. So it was certain Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian would return and continue his adventure. As of May 2022, the creator had begun writing the season, which he said he had completed in February 2023. Speaking to BFMTV before season 3’s premiere, Favreau affirmed that season 4 was in the works, adding that it would connect to other stories in the Mando-Verse. He cited Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka as he stated that “…all of it has to feel like a continuation and one full story.”
Pre-production for The Mandalorian season 4 reportedly commenced in April 2023, with filming scheduled to begin before the year runs out. Although the highly anticipated season was never officially confirmed, there was no doubt it was in the pipeline until January 2024. While Lucasfilm remains mum about the fate of the fourth season, it has announced new projects tied to the Mando-Verse canon, which have cast major doubts about The Mandalorian getting another season.
Regardless, Deadline insists that season 4 of the hit Disney+ show is still in development as of January 2024. Earlier in November 2023, Brendan Wayne also expressed that the season was underway. Following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, The Mandalorian stuntman shared that the season was being ramped up. “Only one thing is more exciting to me than the strike being over or season 4 of Mando getting ramped up, and that is Season 2 of Coach Mando and the Lady Lancers,” stated Wayne in an Instagram post.
A New Star Wars Film Might Replace The Mandalorian Season 4
Concerns regarding the status of The Mandalorian season 4 came with the greenlighting of a Star Wars film revolving around the major characters of the Disney+ series: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Titled The Mandalorian & Grogu, Lucasfilm announced on January 9, 2024, that the movie will lead its ongoing feature-development slate and will go into production this year. The upcoming film will be directed and co-produced by The Mandalorian creator, Jon Favreau, alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni.
Kennedy, Lucasfilm’s president, described the project as perfect for movie theaters, “Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen,” she said. Favreau shares this sentiment. He proclaimed his love for telling stories set in the Star Wars universe, adding that “the prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.” While Lucasfilm didn’t suggest in any way that the upcoming film is a replacement for The Mandalorian season 4, the Star Wars fandom fears that’s exactly what might happen.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Is Now The Priority For Lucasfilm
It seems Lucasfilm is resolved to continue Din Djarin and Grogu’s story with a movie. THR reports that the production company reevaluated the prospects for The Mandalorian season 4 and decided to prioritize the film. According to the publication, the future of the Disney+ series depends on the performance of the upcoming movie. If The Mandalorian & Grogu is commercially successful, it could inspire sequels, which would further obliterate any plan about the fourth season of The Mandalorian. Whatever happens, the series and other related productions will culminate in another feature film for a meaningful ending. Dave Filoni will direct the movie teased to bring the interconnected stories in the Mando-Verse to a definite conclusion.