The Mandalorian and Grogu feature film essentially replaced a fourth season of The Mandalorian on Disney+. But at one point, there was going to be a fourth season, before Lucasfilm decided to pivot to a big-screen adventure starring Pedro Pascal. In fact, Lucasfilm CEO Dave Filoni explained that they formed a solid plan for a fourth season back in 2023, with several scripts written. But what would the fourth season of The Mandalorian have entailed in terms of story? It seems that it would have tied further into the Grand Admiral Thrawn storyline set up in Ahsoka season one, which follows up on plot elements introduced in the animated Star Wars Rebels series.
The Mandalorian Season 4 Scripts Were Never Considered for the Movie
While speaking to SFX Magazine (via IGN), director Jon Favreau said, “You can’t just take those scripts and turn them into a movie. There were a lot of characters, it assumed you’d watched the entire show, and it was teeing up what was happening moving into Ahsoka. It was about Grand Admiral Thrawn and following the larger storyline.” Favreau added, “This is a completely different medium, so I had to start from scratch, essentially. There were certain things I wanted to pursue, like the idea of Grogu being the Mandalorian’s apprentice. As long as you understand the archetypes of this hardened warrior with their vulnerable young apprentice, you’ll know these characters well, even if you’ve never seen the show. But there’s still a lot of Star Wars in there.”
Is The Mandalorian Season 4 Still Possible After the Movie?
Could this fourth season of The Mandalorian still happen? Neither Dave Filoni nor Jon Favreau has given a concrete answer to this question. It seems the future of Din Djarin and Grogu remains very tied to what happens with the film’s box office. If the movie hits big, Lucasfilm likely pushes forward on another one. And that movie will likely be another standalone adventure. If the film disappoints, then a return to television seems likely. And then some of those early season four scripts might find a new life. However, it’s also possible Filoni might rework elements of those scripts into something else entirely.
Could The Mandalorian Season 4 Become a Crossover Project?
There were reports that a Dave Filoni project bringing the various Mandalorian-related show was in the works, meant to conclude the “minders” storyline. Something many fans assume is a loose adaptation of the 1991 Timothy Zahn novel, Heir to the Empire. That book introduced Thrawn as a character, about five years after Return of the Jedi. This is roughly when The Mandalorian takes place. The book featured Luke, Han, and Leia in key roles. But one presumes an adaptation would instead feature Mando, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, and others from the series in their place. However, if it’s animated, we suppose the inclusion of Luke, Han, and Leia would not ruffle any fan feathers.
One of the big complaints about season three was that it leaned to heavily into deep-cut Star Wars lore. Mostly, the lore they introduced in the various cartoons over the years. That’s why The Mandalorian and Grogu pivoted away from that, into something more friendly for casual audiences. Maybe Lucasfilm is more comfortable doing something more lore-heavy and tied into the greater canon if it’s for streaming? Filoni and Favreau are definitely not revealing anything too soon. We’ll just have to wait and see how audiences receive The Mandalorian and Grogu before making any serious predictions about a new fourth season.
The Mandalorian and Rogu arrives in theaters everywhere on May 22.
