Star Wars’ 'The Acolyte' And 'The Mandalorian And Grogu' Get Release Windows
The future of Star Wars is coming. Get ready for it.
The future of Star Wars is becoming clearer by the day, both on the big and small screens. With varying degrees of specificity, release windows for both the upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte and the recently-announced theatrical film The Mandalorian and Grogu have been revealed.
First, The Acolyte, from creator Leslye Headland, is finally set to premiere this summer. In the High Republic era 50 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, the series will follow a former Jedi Padawan, played by Amandla Stenberg and her ex-Master, played by Lee Jung-jae as they become entangled in an investigation of crimes in a constantly-changing galaxy. The cast includes The Good Place and Hailey’s On It!’s Manny Jacinto, Jessica Jones and The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss, Logan’s Dafne Keen, Russian Doll’s Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Tron: Ares’s Jodie Turner-Smith. The only two identified characters thus far are Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh, a fan favorite and one of the more prominent characters in Phase I and III of the books, and modern Chewbacca Joonas Suotamo as a Wookiee Jedi named Kelnacca.
Meanwhile, we revisit last week’s Disney earnings call for one more nugget from CEO Bob Iger. He confirmed during that The Mandalorian & Grogu will be the first Star Wars film to launch ahead of the previously-confirmed films, with a 2026 release, and it is Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin as the title Mandalorian. Since there are two dates in 2026 reserved for Star Wars, May 22 and December 18, one would think that confirms the former. However the latter could easily be the backup they’re not quite ready to solidify with something else yet, so them not saying a specific date despite the public knowledge gets a pass. It’s still not clear whether this is a retool of or addition to a fourth season of The Mandalorian. The film will be directed by series creator Jon Favreau, who produces with president of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni, who is still set to direct the film that has been described to close the Mandoverse realm of the franchise’s stories.
