Is The Mandalorian Season 4 Happening After The Star Wars Movie Announcement?

Lucasfilm announced on January 9 that the hit TV series "The Mandalorian" will serve as the basis for an upcoming Star Wars live-action movie called "The Mandalorian & Grogu." At its helm is "Mandalorian" showrunner and experienced blockbuster film director Jon Favreau. That said, "The Mandalorian" Season 4 was already in development at the time of this announcement and the forthcoming movie is now scheduled to go into production at some point in 2024. So, the status of Season 4 is suddenly complicated despite its prior confirmation.

Fortunately for "Mandalorian" die-hards, "The Mandalorian & Grogu" does not seem to have nullified or otherwise superseded the production of Season 4. Notably, multiple trade publications like Deadline stated explicitly that Season 4 is still in development in their write-ups about the upcoming film. In fact, Favreau has revealed that he's already completed writing Season 4 and knows precisely how it will fit in canonically with some other future Star Wars stories. What's still unclear is if the upcoming season will precede or follow the "The Mandalorian & Grogu" movie. Whatever the case may be, both projects appear to be in the works simultaneously.

At the end of Season 3, protagonist Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and the newly christened Din Grogu — who very well may still be Baby Yoda to plenty of fans — are at peace. Based on a confluence of factors including the fact the Season 3 finale could serve as a natural conclusion to his story, some fans began to theorize Pascal's Djarin might be out as the show's titular Mandalorian. However, Bo-Katan Kryze actor Katee Sackhoff killed the Pascal replacement rumor for "The Mandalorian" Season 4, describing the series as Din Djarin's story first and foremost.

While this might mean that Pascal will be back for the upcoming season, his name is not included in the "Mandalorian & Grogu" announcement. Pascal did, however, celebrate the news on his Instagram Story. Beyond this suggestion that he's still a part of the franchise, Djarin is the sole Mandalorian who shares a close bond with Grogu. The idea that the title of this film might refer to anyone other than Djarin, then, would be at least a little strange. Nevertheless, given that fans have already speculated about Pascal's departure, the fact his name isn't yet attached to the movie suggests that his involvement isn't yet guaranteed, even if he is strongly implied to have a part in Season 4.