The Mandalorian And Grogu Will Land In 2026, Kicking Off A New Wave Of Star Wars Movies

Earlier this year, Disney and Lucasfilm made the surprise announcement that their hit "Star Wars" TV series "The Mandalorian" would be making the jump to the big screen with a movie titled "The Mandalorian and Grogu." Slated to begin production this year, the movie will be directed by Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), who will also be producing with Lucasfilm's president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni, who is also an executive producer and writer on "The Mandalorian." And now we have some idea of when the movie will arrive in theaters.

During an earnings call today, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that 2026 would likely see the release of "The Mandalorian and Grogu," kicking off the next generation of "Star Wars" movies. This should come as no surprise since the initial announcement for the film said it would "lead Lucasfilm's ongoing feature-development slate." So exactly when in 2026 can we expect to see "The Mandalorian and Grogu" in theaters?

As for the specific release date, there are currently two options on the table: May 22, 2026 and December 18, 2026. Both dates have been staked out by Disney for "Star Wars" projects, but Lucasfilm has yet to determine how the upcoming slate of "Star Wars" movies will fit into those dates. It's also entirely possible that Disney could end up shifting their release date calendar to accommodate their production scheduled.

Having "The Mandalorian and Grogu" done in time for a summer 2026 release seems pretty likely, especially with production beginning this year, but "Star Wars" has also been a big presence during winter in recent years as well. It likely depends on the development of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's upcoming "Star Wars" movie that is supposed to pick up Rey's story following the conclusion of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." Besides "The Mandalorian" jumping to the big screen, that's probably the movie that's closest to getting in front of the camera, but it's hard to know with such a variety of "Star Wars" projects in development. 

It should also be noted that there was a time when Bob Iger said that a "Star Wars" movie from "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would lead a new era of the franchise, and we all know how that turned out. At the very least, "The Mandalorian" movie feels like it's on more sure footing for now, and that's likely the project we can count on right now. As for the rest of the "Star Wars" universe, we'll have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned.