After there has been great uncertainty about the future of Star Wars in cinemas in recent years, the next film is becoming concrete. The Mandalorian & Grogu, a spin-off of the Star Wars series The Mandalorian on Disney+, conquered expected in 2026 the screen and turns the galaxy far, far away upside down.
So far, the series have been influenced by the movies. Now one turns out to be one Series as a source of inspiration for a screen adventure. It remains to be seen whether the Mando concept also works in the cinema. But it is already clear that director Jon Favreau is breaking with one of the oldest Star Wars traditions.
New Star Wars film: The Mandalorian & Grogu takes a different path than all previous films in the saga
The Mandalorian & Grogu is the first Star Wars film shot entirely in California becomes. As Deadline and Variety both report, the California Film Commission has shelled out a whopping sum of nearly $21.8 million to support the production. Only one film received more.
Bumblebee, the 2018 Transformers spin-off, received $22.4 million from the California Film Commission. The fact that the US state is putting so much money into The Mandalorian & Grogu has one special reason. The filming is expected to generate over $166 million in local businesses.
Filming is currently scheduled to take 92 days. To shoot the new Star Wars film 500 crew members needed, not to mention numerous extras. 3500 is the number that falls on Deadline and Variety. There are also 54 actors with speaking roles, which gives us a first sense of the size of the film.
USA instead of Great Britain and Australia: The Mandalorian & Grogu turns its back on the familiar Star Wars studios
To date, the Star Wars films have been the main thing native to Great Britain. George Lucas filmed Star Wars at Elstree Studios and Shepperton Studios. Ealing Studios, Leavesden Studios and Pinewood Studios were later added. The biggest detour took place during the prequel trilogy.
After the Harry Potter films besieged Leavesden Studios in London, Lucas struck at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia Main production hub for the prequels on. So far we have only gone to the USA for outdoor filming, but no studio filming. That is now changing with The Mandalorian & Grogu.
The reason for this is probably simple: while the Star Wars films were predominantly UK exclusive, the Live-action series anchored in the USA, most notably The Mandalorian. There is a well-rehearsed team in California working with the groundbreaking volume technology that made The Mandalorian possible.
Favreau probably doesn’t want to do without this infrastructure when he makes his first Star Wars film. It is questionable whether The Mandalorian & Grogu also has one for individual scenes Trips to real locations might. Lucas used Tunisia as the Tatooine backdrop before the sequels delved into the desert landscape of Jordan.
When does The Mandalorian & Grogu start in cinemas?
The official theatrical release of The Mandalorian & Grogu has not yet been announced. Lucasfilm and Disney are currently keeping two dates free for upcoming Star Wars films in 2026, once in May and once in December. It’s very likely that The Mandalorian & Grogu will be the first spot, so May 2026, takes over. In addition, filming on the Rey film with Daisy Ridley is set to begin soon.