Disney and Lucasfilm have offered a new extended look at The Mandalorian and Grogu, their Star Wars film marking the first in the franchise to hit theaters since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, unveiling the entire opening sequence with director Jon Favreau in attendance.
Continuing the story of Pedro Pascal‘s intergalactic bounty hunter Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian, from Disney+’s flagship series, the new film opens with a message about the evil galactic empire falling and the New Republic beginning to reunite, as The Mandalorian continues hunting down imperial fugitives in the Lawless Outer Rim.
We cut to a council, led by an imperious figure, who talks about providing protection to the council, and how it’s gotten increasingly expensive without the Empire’s support. “Now for the bad news,” he says, “I am raising your tribute.”
A council member complains that “trade routes are plagued with pirates and thieves ready to attack” — and the leader shoots him dead, encouraging the group to focus on solutions to their problems, rather than complaining.
Enter The Mandalorian, who takes out one white armored soldier after another before taking off through snowy mountains, alongside Baby Yoda, riding on a robotic creature. Later, he meets up with Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), an ally who talks about “preventing another war and protecting everything the Rebellion fought for.”
Ward wants to send The Mandalorian on a new mission and is offering a restored spacecraft as an advance for his work. He needs to find Commander Coin — a figure no one who seen who is believed dead by most. Reluctantly, he’ll need to do so by meeting with the Hutts — led by Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), the only surviving heir of crime lord Jabba the Hutt — who have agreed to lead him straight to the missing commander.
Favreau played the opening sequence for the crowd today, also unveiling a new full-length trailer, which you can view above. He noted up top that it was Star Wars that made him fall in love with movies, and he was excited to work here to ensure his “joy and love of Star Wars translates to a new generation.”
The filmmaker said the new flick features “over 49 minutes of expanded aspect ratio sequences created specifically for Imax and other large-format theaters,” along with practical sets, stop-motion animation for creature work, motion control miniatures, and more. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is slated for release on May 22. Produced by Lucasfilm, the film is written by Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor. It was first announced in January 2024.
