There’s a lot of uncertainty in Hollywood lately, and LucasFilm isn’t immune to it. According to a new rumor from Making Star Wars, LucasFilm and Disney executives are considering turning the fourth season of The Mandalorian into a movie. Due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, LucasFilm and Disney are concerned whether Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will be able to deliver another season of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka as part of the build up to the Mandoverse film, to be directed by Dave Filoni.
Jason Ward from MakingStarWars.net reports that according to his sources, there are discussions about turning the 8 episode of season 4 into a feature length film. According to Jon Favreau, Season 4 has already been written. The scripts are ready, so cutting it all down to a 2 hour long movie could rush a slower, more detailed build up to the Mandoverse crossoverfilm.
According to Ward, a movie based on Season 4 would also be directed by Filoni, giving him a total of two Star Wars films. If Season 4 does get made into a movie, switching from the medium where The Mandalorian became a hit, it wouldn’t release until sometime after the New Jedi Order movie starring Daisy Ridley. That could mean quite a long wait between season 3, and the return of Din Djarin and Grogu.
This rumor does seem to lineup with Disney’s strategy going forward. Bob Iger admitted that focus would shift towards theatrical releases, and there would be fewer Star Wars and Marvel series being made for Disney+. Iger’s eyes are obviously focused on the box-office. For now, LucasFilm and Disney haven’t responded to these rumors, so only time will tell what’s actually in store for fans of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian is what helped to launch Disney+, and a potential change of plans that leads to Season 4 becoming a movie instead of an 8 episode weekly release may force subscribers to cancel their subscriptions. Season 3 had it’s issues, and many fans just want the show to go back to what made it so loved in the first place, bringing focus back on Din Djarin, with occasional appearances from the friends he’s made along the way.
It’s important to note, that these rumors cast doubts on whether LucasFilm will be able to work on a second season of Ahsoka as well. Rosario Dawson has admitted that she has her fingers crossed about a potential second season, so if Ahsoka, which premieres this month, is a hit, LucasFilm may be making a mistake by foregoing a second season.
Both Ahsoka and The Mandalorian are inevitably leading to the Mandoverse film directed by Dave Filoni, so it’s probably best that further seasons of the show are allowed to continue as planned, for a better buildup to the film. Otherwise, things may seem a little rushed, and it could lead to a lot of character building, bonding and little details getting chopped off to fit into the film.
For now, there’s no confirmed date for Mando Season 4 to go into production. Ahsoka premieres August 23 on Disney+.