We've known for a while that The Mandalorian & Grogu started life as The Mandalorian season 4. If the massive splash Moana 2 recently made at the box office is any indication of what's in store for the next Star Wars movie, Disney CEO Bob Iger made the right decision shifting to theaters from streaming.
While production on the project has wrapped, Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) has shared more casting news today as The Mandalorian's Jonny Coyne is set to reprise his role as a (currently unnamed) Imperial Warlord.
He showed up in hologram form as part of the Empire's sinister Shadow Council in the penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season 3. Moff Gideon reported to them on the Mandalorians' plan to retake Mandalore while the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn were also discussed.
Following that villain's return in Ahsoka season 2 and the apparent death of Gideon, it seems likely that the Empire will continue posing a major problem for Din Djarin and Grogu. Also present in that meeting was Captain Gilad Pellaeon, a character with close ties to Thrawn in the Expanded Universe.
Yesterday, we learned that Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) will lend his voice to Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta the Hutt. Bespin Bulletin has shared a few additional details today, revealing, "Though I did not know who would be voicing Rotta. However, I was told that he looks sort of...buff."
If so, we can likely expect Rotta to look something like this...
The character was last seen in The Clone Wars where Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano saved his life when he was kidnapped (as a baby). With that in mind, it's possible he'll be a little more heroic in nature than his dearly departed father.
Back to Coyne, and his credits include Bodies, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Preacher, and The Blacklist.
"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," writer and director Jon Favreau said in a statement when news of plans for The Mandalorian & Grogu first broke. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy added, "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."
Also starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, The Mandalorian & Grogu is directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Favreau, Filoni and Ian Bryce.
This exciting new adventure in the Mandalorian and Grogu's journey is currently in production and arrives in theaters on May 22, 2026.