Why The Mandalorian Season 4 May Never Happen

Ever since “The Rise of Skywalker” hit theaters in late 2019 and ended the sequel trilogy on a mixed note, the “Star Wars” franchise has meandered more than a little bit. We haven’t had a movie since then, with many of them entering development only to be quietly abandoned or, at the very least, not spoken about again. Remember Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars” trilogy? Where’s that? The biggest, unquestioned “Star Wars” success over the last five years is “The Mandalorian.” Created by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), the first ever live-action series in a galaxy far, far away united the fanbase as the adventures of Mando and Grogu were simply too excellent to ignore.

“The Mandalorian” season 3 aired its finale in April 2023, tying up loose ends and setting up a possible future for Mando and Grogu, as well as other characters in its story. Even though that season of the show was met with a more mixed response than the first two, it seemed very much like Lucasfilm was setting the table for a fourth season. While that was the plan at one point, things have changed and, in all likelihood, that once-planned season of TV will probably never see the light of day.

Announced in January 2024, Lucasfilm and Disney have confirmed that the next “Star Wars” movie is going to be “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Directed by Favreau, Pedro Pascal will return as Mando, going on another adventure with his little Force-sensitive pal once affectionately known as Baby Yoda. This will, essentially, be taking the place of “The Mandalorian” season 4, it seems.

Things have changed behind the scenes at Lucasfilm over the last year or so, but Favreau had previously confirmed in February 2023 that “The Mandalorian” season 4 scripts had already been written. So there were, at least at one point, plans for another season of the show on Disney+. Whether or not Favreau took those scripts and condensed them for the upcoming movie or cooked up another story entirely remains to be seen. Either way, this dynamic duo is headed to the big screen instead of back to the world of streaming.

For what it’s worth, known industry insider Daniel Richtman reported in September of this year that the fourth season of the show is now dead at Disney. “I have also confirmed the ‘Mandalorian’ movie will be the final chapter of the show, no season 4,” Richtman said (via The Direct). “He will be in other projects after that but ‘The Mandalorian’ will be over.”

For what it’s worth, that does make a great deal of sense. It would be tough to bring these characters to theaters for what will be the first “Star Wars” movie in seven years, only to then bring them back for a TV show. It would feel a little backwards. There’s also the matter of Pedro Pascal, who has played the titular Mandalorian since the show’s inception. However, Pascal has become a much bigger star in recent years, and he has pretty much been reduced to just providing Mando’s voiceover these days.

The actor is also about to appear in Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” movie as Reed Richards, which could be a job that keeps him busy for years to come. That’s on top of the many other upcoming projects he’s attached to at the moment. The point is, it’s going to be harder and harder to keep him available for “The Mandalorian” as a regular commitment. Doing one big movie then winding things down seems logical.

Beyond the logistical concerns, it very much seems like Lucasfilm is building to some sort of conclusion to the larger story around Mando. That includes the spinoff series “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka,” which Favreau is involved in making alongside Dave Filoni. Now serving as the chief creative officer at Lucasfilm, Favreau is known best for his work on animated shows such as “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels.” Rather crucially, Filoni is also developing a “Star Wars” movie that is said to serve as the culmination of all these various “Mandalorian” shows. Not to get too far into speculation territory here, but it does seem very much like that film is going to be an adaptation (of sorts) of the “Heir to the Empire” storyline involving Grand Admiral Thrawn.

It’s all but assured that Mando and Grogu would also show up in that movie to help send off this corner of the “Star Wars” universe. But if this really is all building to some big showdown with Thrawn, that would serve as one heck of a conclusion to this saga. At that point, another season of “The Mandalorian” might feel superfluous. More importantly, Lucasfilm is developing a host of other projects that suggest the studio is looking to take the franchise in new directions.

Most recently, it was revealed that Simon Kinberg (“Star Wars Rebels,” “Dark Phoenix”) is developing a new “Star Wars” trilogy. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We also have James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” movie, as well as the new movie that will see Daisy Ridley’s Rey training a new Jedi Order. There are several other movies in various stages of development, including one from Shawn Levy (“Deadpool & Wolverine”). This is to say nothing of what Lucasfilm is planning on the TV side, but with shows like “Skeletron Crew” just around the corner, it seems there’s more to look forward to there as well.

All of this is to say, for now, Lucasfilm hasn’t definitively stated that “The Mandalorian” season 4 won’t happen. It can’t be ruled out entirely. After all, at one point it seemed like “Episode VII” would never happen, but “The Force Awakens” hit theaters in 2015. So, who knows? But for now at least it appears these characters have a future on the silver screen as opposed to Disney+.

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.