The beloved character Baby Yoda, also known as Grogu, is set to make his big screen debut in an upcoming Star Wars movie. Director Jon Favreau has been given the task of bringing The Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen, with production set to begin later this year. “I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” Favreau said in a statement. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”
Details of the plot remain under wraps, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has called the story “a perfect fit for the big screen.” Since being introduced in the self-titled Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, played by Pedro Pascal, has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed new characters in the Star Wars universe. The series was even nominated for best drama series at the Emmys, with a fourth season on the way.
Favreau, known for directing Iron Man and The Lion King, has not only created the series, but has also written and directed multiple episodes. This new film marks one of many Star Wars projects on the way, as Disney has decided to focus more on exploring the universe on the big screen rather than the small screen.
Daisy Ridley is set to return as Rey in a film from Canadian-Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who will become the first woman and the first person of color to direct a Star Wars film. “We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away,” she said.
Other future films are set to come from directors James Mangold, Donald Glover, and Taika Waititi. “It’s gonna piss people off,” Waititi has said of his film. However, Lucasfilm has also announced and then cancelled a range of Star Wars projects in recent years, including films from Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.
The last Star Wars film was 2019’s Rise of the Skywalker, which made $1 billion worldwide but received middling reviews. Fans are eager to see how the franchise will continue to expand and evolve with all the new projects on the horizon.