Sigourney Weaver is a household name because of her work in the Alien and Avatar films, so it's surprising how long it took Weaver to join Star Wars.
Via GamesRadar, Weaver revealed her main motivation for agreeing to work in The Mandalorian and Grogu, which will be released in theaters next year. For Weaver, the pint-sized star of The Mandalorian is why she agreed to her upcoming role, but she says he's far more than a cute baby, "And he's a little badass too." Weaver reveals, "It's going to be wonderful for people to see what Grogu is up to now because he's grown up a little bit and is capable of much more than maybe we think just watching the series."
Grogu's growth was shown in The Mandalorian Season 3 where the little guy fought side by side with his father, as the duo battled Moff Gideon for the last time after being tormented by him since Season 1. Grogu showed a better command of his Force abilities, and many fans suspected he would say his first word by the end of the season. Jon Favreau may have saved the exciting moment for the movie.
Weaver also gave a better idea of her role in the movie, where she will reportedly play a New Republic Colonel Bishop. While Weaver didn't reveal that herself, what she did reveal seems to back this up. "I play a wonderful character who is, you know, in a position of authority. And I have to send the Mandalorian out on a mission on the Outer Rim where all the bad stuff happens", she says. This means Weaver is responsible for assigning Din Djarin to certain high-stakes missions to the Outer Rim, and the "bad stuff" could be the Imperial Remnant activity.
As per the last time we saw Djarin, he and Carson Teva had reached a verbal agreement that Djarin would work on a case-by-case basis to catch Imperial Remnants, who have been a pain for the New Republic. Because of his responsibility as Grogu's father and mentor, Din has to be choosy about the missions he goes on. He has to keep his son safe and pass on Mandalorian teachings to the tiny tot, who already has years of Jedi training.
Although unconfirmed leaks have suggested that the movie's plot centers around Din's mission to save Rotta the Hutt, Sigourney Weaver's statement seems to hint that there's a bigger fish out there—and it's not Rotta the Hutt. With Thrawn's return already confirmed, the movie will likely show the Grand Admiral or introduce us to his minions, so a mission could lead Din to discover something nefarious in the works on the Outer Rim.
Apart from Sigourney Weaver and Pedro Pascal, no casting for the movie has been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm. There have been rumors like Jonny Coyne and Jeremy Allen White joining the film, which were revealed by credible entertainment sources. The door is open for a range of characters, including Amy Sedaris as Din's Mechanic pal, Peli Motto, Temuera Morrison as the legendary Boba Fett, Ming-Na Wen as badass Assassin Fennec Shand, and Bill Burr as the wisecracking Migs Mayfeld. Lucasfilm could announce these, and other big names during Star Wars Celebration in April.
The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney+, and The Mandalorian and Grogu premieres in theaters on May 22, 2026.