Key Takeaways
- A recent report suggests that the theatrical film “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will be the final chapter of the series.
- Fans may not be entirely thrilled with the end of the Disney+ series, but Pedro Pascal’s character will continue in future projects.
- The film will require fans to understand three seasons’ worth of content, representing a new challenge for the Star Wars franchise.
Fans of The Mandalorian have been eagerly anticipating the upcoming film based on the series since it was announced at the beginning of the year, but a recent report indicates that they might not be entirely delighted with the film’s impact on the franchise.
The Mandalorian is to the Star Wars franchise what Wandavision is to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being the project that brought the franchise to the small screen when Disney decided to leverage its big IPs for content on its Disney+ streaming service. After a solid three-season run, the fourth installment of the show would be delayed by the 2023 strikes, giving execs the chance to conceptualize a theatrical project based on the show, which would be announced in January of 2024. Longtime fan-favorite franchise stalwart Dave Filoni would be attached to direct, a decision that many gained even more confidence in after Filoni’s stellar work on Star Wars: Ahsoka.
While details on the plot for The Mandalorian & Grogu is only really speculation from potential leaks at the moment, fans now know at least one important fact about the film and how it’s going to affect the series that birthed it. A recent report from trusted insider source Daniel Richtman declares that The Mandalorian has reached the end of its impressive streaming run, and the upcoming theatrical film project The Mandalorian & Grogu will instead be the final chapter of the story that’s been a decade in the making. “I have also confirmed the Mandalorian movie will be the final chapter of the show, no season 4,” Richtman reports. “He will be in other projects after that, but ‘The Mandalorian’ will be over.” It was said that the focus had been shifted from a fourth season of The Mandalorian to the film, but many fans didn’t think this meant a total end to the Disney+ series.
While many fans of the franchise have fond memories of the show, which was the blueprint for all the success that Star Wars has seen on Disney+ since then, and might react negatively to the show coming to an unceremonious end, the bitter news is a bit mellowed by the assurance of seeing Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin in future projects beyond The Mandalorian & Grogu. There are tons of things that The Mandalorian fans would like to see in the upcoming Star Wars movie, but it’s easy to see that there’s nobody that wants to say goodbye to the characters for good. While the plot of the film needs to terminate the story of the Disney+ series, fans can be pretty sure the protagonists make it through the end and remain in good form since they’re going to appear down the line.
It’s been clear for a while that Star Wars could be falling into the Marvel trap with its seemingly far-reaching commitment to making content for Disney+, a lot of which involves fan favorite characters that are worthy of full theatrical projects. The Mandalorian & Grogu will certainly require fans to do three seasons’ worth of homework to understand it, which will be an uncharacteristic first for the franchise. This stands in contrast to Rogue One and Andor, which both stand on their own as solid entries in the franchise, despite the former being a direct setup for the first Star Wars and the latter being a prequel series to it. Adding in the fact that Rogue One was released first, and it’s clear to see why that worked well within the franchise’s film-centered approach. However, the Disney+ era has now seen projects taking place before, during, and after the timeline covered in the mainline films, leaving the franchise with a major issue.
Ending its run as one of the Best Disney Plus Series of 2023 isn’t a bad way to go out. If the upcoming film can put a proper capstone on the show, then The Mandalorian will certainly go down in history as a true Star Wars win on streaming, a title that’s been hit or miss for the franchise on Disney+. With the controversy surrounding The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew still being an unknown variable, The Mandalorian & Grogu might take one even more significance when it eventually releases.
The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Daniel Richtman
