Some exciting Star Wars news this morning as The Mandalorian & Grogu has cast its first major supporting role.
As per The InSneider newsletter (and confirmed by multiple trades), 3x Academy Award-nominee Sigourney Weaver has joined the cast of Disney and Lucasfilm's next Star Wars film, which is expected to begin production at the tailend of this year.
The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau (Iron Man; Iron Man 2; The Lion King) will helm and produce the upcoming feature, with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm chief creative officer Dave Filoni also serving as producers.
Weaver will join a cast headlined by series leading man Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones; The Last of Us; Wonder Woman 1984), who is expected to reprise his role as Din Djarin for the film. However, the extent of his involvement is yet-to-be-determined as the 3x Primetime Emmy-nominated actor also has Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four, where he plays Reed Richards, on his schedule this summer.
Considering Pascal isn't really required to show his face when playing the titular character, as it is essentially a voiceover role after the events of season three, it should be relatively manageable for Favreau and company to accommodate the fan favorite star's busy schedule.
As expected, Grogu will also return.
Weaver is a legend of the sci-fi genre, having played Ellen Ripley in the long-running Alien series. She played the iconic part in four films - Ridley Scott's Alien, James Cameron's Aliens, David Fincher's Alien3, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection - and earned several awards and nominations for her portrayal, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in 1987.
More recently, she has reteamed with James Cameron for the Avatar films, having played Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film and Kiri in Avatar: The Way of Water. She's also slated to appear in the next three chapters, which are tentatively scheduled to open in theaters in December 2025, December 2029, and December 2031, respectively.
Weaver is also well known for her role as Dana Barrett in the Ghostbusters franchise, having appeared in the 1984 original Ghostbusters, the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II, and its 2021 revival Ghostbusters: Afterlife. She also made a brief cameo in Ghostbusters (2016) as Dr. Rebecca Gorin.
In 2017, she stepped into the Marvel universe, playing the villainous Alexandra Reid in Marvel/Netflix's The Defenders miniseries. She appeared in six out of the eight episodes.
Outside of her beloved genre work, her more prominent credits include, but are not limited to, Working Girl, Gorillas in the Mist, Galaxy Quest, Holes, The Village, Baby Mama, WALL·E, You Again, Paul, The Cabin in the Woods, Chappie, Finding Dory, and A Monster Calls.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026!