‘The Mandalorian’: Grogu and his armored dad face their evolving dynamic in Season 3
Pedro Pascal’s space dad and Grogu return for a third season of Disney+’s ‘The Mandalorian,’ a Star Wars show about identity and parenthood.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
This is the way.
Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin is back alongside his little green friend in the new trailer for the “Star Wars” movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” released on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The new footage was packed with surprises, including a moment early on when Din Djarin seeks information from an alien with the unmistakable voice of director Martin Scorsese.
Lucasfilm confirmed to USA TODAY that Scorsese’s voice is heard in the trailer. The legendary filmmaker’s involvement in the movie had not previously been announced. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” director Jon Favreau had a role in Scorsese’s movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Fans may also be surprised to see Pascal unmasked in the trailer, which teases a scene where Din Djarin’s helmet is removed as he is brought before a villain. He is also seen without his helmet in a scene where he faces off against a monster. Din famously keeps his helmet on for the vast majority of “The Mandalorian,” though he has removed it occasionally.
The rest of the footage keeps the film’s plot fairly vague but teases Din coming up against the Hutts, with the vile gangsters threatening to inflict suffering on Grogu. Zeb Orrelios, a fan-favorite character from the animated series “Star Wars Rebels,” also has a cameo in the footage, in which he enthusiastically embraces Grogu by exclaiming, “I like this kid!”
Another character making the jump from animation to live-action is Embo, a bounty hunter who appears in the trailer after previously being featured in the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
Watch ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ trailer
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” continues the story of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” which left off in Season 3 with bounty hunter Din Djarin going to work for the New Republic hunting down warlords who are loyal to the Empire. Din also adopted his apprentice Grogu, who trained as a Jedi with Luke Skywalker.
Sigourney Weaver makes her “Star Wars” debut as a New Republic pilot in “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and in the trailer, she says it’s her mission to prevent another war. “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White also voices Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba the Hutt. The character was previously seen in 2008’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie, which centered on Rotta being kidnapped.
The release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will be an important moment for “Star Wars,” as it’s the franchise’s first new film to be released in theaters in almost seven years. The last “Star Wars” movie was 2019’s sequel trilogy finale “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which received the worst reviews of any “Star Wars” episode to date, though it still grossed $1 billion.
In the years since, Lucasfilm has announced numerous “Star Wars” movies that were bound for theaters but never materialized. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was the first to make it across the finish line. “Star Wars” has maintained a regular presence on Disney+ in the meantime, releasing a series of live-action shows since 2019, starting with “The Mandalorian.”
The release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will arrive in a new era for “Star Wars” after the departure of Lucasfilm’s longtime president, Kathleen Kennedy. Dave Filoni, a key creative force behind “The Mandalorian” and a producer on “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” succeeded her as president. He is serving alongside co-president Lynwen Brennan.
‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ release date
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits theaters on May 22, 2026.
This makes it only the second “Star Wars” movie of the Disney era to be released during the summer. The original six “Star Wars” films all debuted in May, but starting with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the franchise began shifting to December releases. The only recent exception was “Solo: A Star Wars” story, which debuted in May 2018 and underperformed at the box office.