Hollywood is still on strike, and with no end in sight, studios are being forced to reevaluate how they're approaching future projects. Without writers and actors, Disney, for example, can’t do much; however, with massive release date delays inevitable, something has got to give.
Making Star Wars (via SFFGazette.com) is reporting that one of the plans currently being discussed within Disney and Lucasfilm is for The Mandalorian season 4 to become a movie.
Theatrical releases have come a priority for Disney over streaming, and there now are concerns Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will be unable to make the required two seasons of television necessary to lead into the latter’s Star Wars movie. The other show is Ahsoka season 2, though it’s unclear what the plan is for that series.
As for The Mandalorian, discussions are currently said to be centred around whether the eight episodes already written can be condensed into a single film.
If it happens, the movie would be released after the planned Rey project starring Daisy Ridley, and before Filoni’s take on "Heir to the Empire." While a fourth season of The Mandalorian would be welcomed, this means Filoni can tell his story across two theatrical releases, the first of which would revolve around Din Djarin (the report isn’t 100% clear but it seems Filoni would helm both, with back-to-back releases across two years).
The site adds, "If the WGA strike lasts into 2024, which right now seems likely, this plan could come to fruition and seems to the leading preference on the table. I heard this from one of my most solid sources ever and I have had it authenticated by other trusted sources and colleagues."
Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed he’s looking to scale back the number of Star Wars and Marvel projects on Disney+, so The Mandalorian pivoting to a big screen franchise makes sense. The property is firmly established and, after what many argued was a bloated third season, we're sure plenty of you will welcome a two-hour movie in place of eight more episodes.
Disney and Lucasfilm haven't commented on this rumour but we'll continue bringing you the latest updates at SFFGazette.com.