Grogu steals the spotlight in a lighthearted teaser — can Baby Yoda bring Star Wars back to theaters?
Disney released the first trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu, and if Baby Yoda’s screen time is any indication, the galaxy’s cutest export is ready to lead Star Wars back into theaters.
The teaser — which was briefly delayed amid a swirl of headlines earlier this month — feels like a different flavor of Star Wars: lighter, packed with creatures, and squarely family-friendly. Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin, the stoic bounty hunter-turned-parent, and Grogu (everyone’s favorite pint-sized Force user) dominates the footage.
Most characters shown are masked, robotic, or alien; the clearest human face is Sigourney Weaver’s, appearing as a Rebel Alliance colonel.
Behind the camera, the film reunites the creative team that made the Disney+ series a cultural phenomenon. Jon Favreau directs from a script he co-wrote with Dave Filoni, who also shares producing duties with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
At D23 last year Favreau hinted at the project’s dual mission: reward longtime fans while courting a new, big-screen audience. “To come back together and have the scale and scope of the big screen… is an opportunity to reach out to a whole new audience,” he said — and with Grogu in the title, that audience very much includes kids.
The movie also expands the franchise’s roster. Jeremy Allen White is billed as Rotta the Hutt — presented as Jabba the Hutt’s son — and Jonny Coyne shows up as an Imperial warlord.
Those additions, plus the mash-up of aliens, droids and masked faces in the trailer, hint at a playful, adventurous tone that leans less on grim galactic stakes and more on character-driven spectacle.
That approach matters. This is the first theatrical Star Wars release since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, a run that left Disney cautious about big-budget entries after box office returns cooled. The Mandalorian & Grogu is now a visible test: can the franchise still rally theatergoers the way it once did?
Lucasfilm isn’t putting all its eggs in one pod — another feature, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, is already scheduled for May 28, 2027 — but the success of Favreau and Filoni’s film will likely shape how boldly the studio moves forward.
Mark your calendars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026. If the trailer is any guide, the movie wants to be a warm, whimsical bridge between the serialized TV stories that revived Star Wars and the spectacle of the cinema — with Grogu smiling (or eating) his way back into the hearts of a new generation.
Are you excited to see Baby Yoda on the big screen? Tell us what you hope to see in the comments — and share this story with fellow Star Wars fans.