On May 22, 2026, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu will be arriving in theaters. This will be the first time that fans will get a new Star Wars film on the big screen since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Ahead of its release, director Jon Favreau sat down to talk about the coming-of-age journey that Grogu is going on in this film.

“If you’re watching it through the eyes of Grogu, he is coming into his own,” Favreau told StarWars.com. “He’s starting to take on more and his dad [Din Djarin, the Mandalorian played by Pedro Pascal] is trusting him with more responsibility.”

The interview with Favreau also covered other elements of the film, including casting some legendary talent for the film and how parenthood has always been a central part of the story told in The Mandalorian.

A Star Wars Legacy

Favreau has been a Star Wars fan since seeing the original film in 1977 as a 10-year-old. Now, nearly five decades later, Favreau is getting to make his own Star Wars film with the characters that he introduced to the world in 2019.

“To have the opportunity to present this [film] in a theater, not just to people who have always loved Star Wars, but to introduce a new generation to Star Wars, to know that you want to reach out and get people as excited about Star Wars as you are and to make them feel the way that I felt the first time I saw it…I think that’s a responsibility,” Favreau says. “And we’ve thought tremendously about this because we’ve been working together for so long. We want to make an experience that doesn’t rely upon somebody already loving Star Wars, but gives them an opportunity to fall in love with it the way we have.”

Star Wars is About People

The Mandalorian was promoted as a gritty western in space. It had a fantastic surprise in its first episode with the reveal of Grogu, a Force-sensitive alien who looked a lot like Yoda and needed protection. “Always at its core, Star Wars is about people,” Favreau says, “the archetypes, the mythology, and the family connections. And what we’ve settled into here, and I don’t think people expected it when they first heard about the show so many years ago, was that it was going to be about parenthood. It was going to be about a father and a son.”

In The Mandalorian and Grogu, Grogu will continue to be trained with his adopted father Din Djarin. “Now he’s not just protecting the kid, but he’s also teaching the kid and preparing the kid, as we all do, for the future, and the passing of the baton from one generation to another.”

Behind the Scenes

The film utilizes generations of Star Wars creators behind the scenes. This includes stop motion animation legend Phil Tippett, model maker John Goodson, Industrial Light & Magic effects artists, including Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll, and Legacy Effects, the LA-based studio that brought Grogu and countless other practical creatures and alien costumes to life. “I think that’s where we really roll up our sleeves and get to play. And there’s the escape pod that comes out of the AT-AT, which is based on the mini rigs, Kenner Toys that never existed on screen, and the dragonsnake that comes from animation.”

Meet Rotta… Again

After being introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature as a baby Huttlet, the son of Jabba the Hutt, moviegoers will now meet a grown-up version of Rotta. He is a muscled Hutt portrayed by Jeremy Allen White. “When people first heard about it, they thought it was a false rumor that we planted,” Favreau shared. This addition allows Favreau to explore a different kind of father and son relationship. “We all know Jabba. What is it like to be [his son] and how do you add dimension to it?”

Special Casting

Other new cast members include Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward and a cameo by Martin Scorsese, who voices the Ardennian fry cook Hugo. Favruea said he watched Weaver connect to Grogu in real time and then made room for it in the storytelling. “Sigourney got such a kick out of Grogu,” Favreau says, noting that between takes she was talking to him, picking him up, wanting to take pictures. “That was one of her notes,” Favreau says. “Sigourney said, ‘I want to work with this guy.’ So, we created some moments that I think work very well.”

Favreau worked with Scorecese previously on The Wolf of Wall Street. Hugo is a nod to Rio Durant, the Ardennian pilot and cook that was voiced by Favreau in Solo: A Star Wars Story. “I’m such a fan. I was lucky enough to work on his film but I grew up watching his films,” Favreau said. Once Scorsese signed on, the character design helped cement his portrayal. “We did the recording session and the animation teams were really inspired by his performance,” Favreau says. “I love the work that they did on that character.”

Mando’s Back

Once again, Pedro Pascal performs and voices Din Djarin, the Mandalorian. At times, his armor is also worn by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowded, depending on the scene.

Of course, there is no The Mandalorian and Grogu without the Mandalorian and his beloved child. “For Pedro, given his background as a competitive swimmer and his screen combat on Gladiator [II], I knew that I could lean into that for the film,” Favreau says. “And to see his face up on a big screen. He’s a big movie star!”

There are other moments for the character forever that are brought to life by Wayne and Crowded. Wayne traditionally performs the classic Western gunslinger moves on camera. “Brendan has tremendous presence and really understands the character and how to personify the gunfighter and to lean into his gunslinging,” Favreau says. “And then for Lateef, who’s a capoeira martial artist, we got to create set pieces around that and let him really do some explosive combat on screen, to pair him up with people that also had that skillset and then mix it with visual effects and the costumes and everything that people know and expect from The Mandalorian. We were able to build things with much more complexity and show off the skills of all our performers.”

Grogu

Grogu is, of course, also back. As has been the trend in recent seasons, he continues to gather more strengths while continuing to be ridiculously cute. “Each season we added more capabilities. Now he could go underwater, he could climb, he could use the Force. He’s not just a character who has to be rescued. Now he’s side-by-side as a Mandalorian apprentice with his dad,” Favreau notes. “And remember, he’s had some significant training with Luke Skywalker. So the Force is something that he understands how to harness.”

In The Mandalorian and Grogu, Grogu will be entering a new era. “Just as all parents do, the relationship with your children changes as they mature and then you begin to take on another role,” Favreau says. “Each generation passes on that responsibility to the next, and it is our job to prepare the next generation for when they have to step into our shoes. I think that’s part of what we were able to explore more fully with this film. His species lives a very long time, and you want to make sure that he’s prepared for the challenges that await him.”

This will be an era that could be difficult for Din Djarin as Grogu’s adoptive parent. It also could be challenging for friends as they see their beloved “Baby Yoda” grow up before their eyes. It will all definitely be an adventure that Star Wars fans won’t want to miss!

The Mandalorian and Grogu stars Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian, Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward, and Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt. It is directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce, Favreau, and Dave Filoni. The music is composed by Ludwig Göransson. Tickets are available for this film now.

What do you think of what you are seeing of The Mandalorian and Grogu? What are you most excited about with this movie? Are you going to be seeing it in theaters? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!