Callum Ward
After a nearly 7-year hiatus from the big screen, cinema’s most iconic franchise will finally return to the theatres later on this year with The Mandalorian and Grogu—and we finally have our first look at the dynamic duo’s upcoming adventure.
Following on from the critical disappointment of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, the direction of the franchise shifted, and new Star Wars stories have been strictly confined to Disney+, and whilst there have been some huge hits like The Mandalorian series and Andor, it never quite felt the same as a big-screen adventure. After the third season of the former, and following delays due to the 2023 Hollywood labor union disputes, Lucasfilm once again shifted their approach and decided to prioritise a feature-length film over a fourth season of the acclaimed show, and as such, we’ll see a galaxy far, far away on the big screen once again, starting with The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The film, from director and writer Jon Favreau—who is co-writing alongside George Lucas prodigy Dave Filoni—will see the newly formed New Republic enlist our titular pair to help track down the remaining Imperial warlords following the fall of the Galactic Empire. Pedro Pascal returns as our Beskar-wearing warrior, Din Djarin, and Grogu is back, hilariously credited as himself, with the pair being joined by Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White and a surprise Martin Scorsese cameo (yes, you read that correctly).
Our latest two-minute trailer is a huge step up from the one we saw a few months ago, the cinematography in particular, as we see stunning scenes of X-Wings in flight, sweeping shots of a waterside base and a mysterious-looking jungle planet. Amongst all of these settings, there is a wealth to unpack for Star Wars fans. We see our dynamic duo taking on imperial warlords, various Hutts and even a mysterious bounty hunter who fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show may recognise as Embo.
There is also more footage of Allen White’s Rotta the Hutt—another Clone Wars character and the son of Jabba the Hutt—as he takes on Darin in a Gladiator-esque battle arena, as well as Rebel’s favourite Zeb back in action once again after his appearance in the previous season of The Mandalorian. We also see Pedro Pascal unmasked in the trailer, a rarity in this role for him, looking awfully stern as he comes face-to-face with the Hutts threatening his child.
All in all, this trailer does exactly what it needs to do—it excites the fans. There’s scale; there’s myth, and there’s an unmistakable sense of operatic adventure that only a galaxy far, far away can deliver. After years of small-screen storytelling, this feels like a statement of intent from Lucasfilm—The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t just continuing a Disney+ storyline; it’s restoring a sense of event to the franchise, and I am absolutely here for it.
Luckily, we don’t have long to wait. The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in cinemas on May 22, 2026—and if this trailer is anything to go by, the Force may finally be awakening on the big screen once again.
