The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to big names. It introduced the world to icons such as Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, after all. And it's easy to see why all of them (along with so many other Star Wars actors) have gone on to become such legends in the pop-culture sphere. This franchise can turn promising talent into stars, and it can also draw in star power too.
It's one of the few classic franchises that are still ongoing to this day. Though the Skywalker Saga has come to an end (and relatively recently, too), there are more stories to be told in that galaxy so far, far away. Most of them these days take place on the Disney Plus streaming service, with the very first of them, The Mandalorian, remaining the most popular. And that is a series that helped industry veteran Pedro Pascal become a global phenomenon.
Now, Mando and the creature he was charged with protecting named Grogu (or, as we all like to refer him to as: "Baby Yoda") are heading to the big screen after three seasons on the small one. And the production has recruited another major star of today in, well, the most unlikely of roles.
Jeremy Allen White joins The Mandalorian and Grogu in unexpected role
As reported by Variety, The Bear star Jeremy Allen White has joined the cast of The Mandalorian and Grogu in the role of Jabba the Hut's son. Yep, that's right; one of the hottest stars in Hollywood today will be voicing Rotta the Hut, according to the outlet in what is one of the first real pieces of information revealed about the mysterious film.
At just 33 years old, White is at the peak of his career right now thanks to his Emmy and Golden-Globe-winning performances in The Bear, but he's also a veteran of the industry. His other best-known role is as Phillip Gallagher, a.k.a. "Lip", in Shameless, which he played through all 11 seasons of the show's run. He has also appeared in the films After Everything, and Iron Claw (among others), and is set to play Bruce Springsteen in the singer's biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, which he is currently filming.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will serve as the honorary fourth season of the series it is spun out of. With the future of the Star Wars movies unclear, Lucasfilm made the decision to give their biggest and most popular Disney Plus characters a chapter on the big screen instead. This shifted original plans for The Mandalorian season 4, with multiple insiders now reporting that there won't be any future seasons of the series as Mando and Yoda's futures are now on the silver screen.
What that means for the franchise's days on Disney Plus remains to be seen. While The Mandalorian has been one of the streamer's biggest success stories, its third (and seemingly final) season wasn't as well-received as its predecessors. Fellow hits like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor were only designed to have short runs, while the divisive The Book of Boba Fett also only lasted one season. The franchise's most recent series, The Acolyte, was cancelled after just one season, too.
Taking Pascal's Din Djarin off the small screen is a risk but if it brings the Star Wars franchise back to the levels of cinematic success that the Skywalker Saga experienced, then it will no doubt have been worth it. And with more star-power being added in Jeremy Allen White - even in the most unexpected of roles - there is even more of a chance of that happening.
The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in movie theaters on May 22, 2026.