Star Wars is bringing one of its biggest shows to the big screen, but it could be a terrible misstep for the franchise. The beloved franchise will be returning to movies this summer with the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu, a continuation of the popular Disney Plus series The Mandalorian. The movie will continue the adventures of Din Djarin and his young protégé Grogu.
The Mandalorian managed to gradually build its own impressive universe of Star Wars television. The show gave audiences live-action versions of beloved characters like Ahsoka Tano and Grand Admiral Thrawn, while also bringing back iconic characters like Boba Fett. However, while making a movie version of this show would have seemed obvious a few years ago, the Star Wars franchise has revealed a more interesting path.
Star Wars should have leaned into Andor's success instead
The Mandalorian may have been a huge hit on Disney+, but Andor is clearly the best Star Wars show the franchise has to offer. Not only that, but the two-season series has been hailed by many as the greatest Star Wars story since the original trilogy. As The Mandalorian and Grogu approaches its release, it is becoming painfully obvious that the Star Wars franchise should have bet on Andor rather than this show.
The Mandalorian and Grogu may very well be a hit for Disney and Lucasfilm, but the excitement level about the latest Star Wars movie is worryingly tepid at this point. The trailers have done little to boost enthusiasm, and while the marketing has been poor, some of that reaction could simply be the effect of this kid-friendly Star Wars movie being compared to the complex and riveting storytelling of Andor.
Andor took a little-remembered character from Rogue One, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and told a mature, gripping, and layered story about rebellion, authoritative rule, and the morally grey areas of Star Wars that have never been explored before. It opened up an entirely new way of seeing this franchise, beyond Skywalkers, lightsabers, and The Force.
At the other end of the spectrum, The Mandalorian and Grogu is banking on the nostalgia of the Star Wars franchise. It looks to be offering nothing new, but rather revisiting things that we've seen many times before. Unfortunately, the nostalgic factor of Star Wars seems to be running out after an overload of shows that largely disappointed the fanbase.
It seems clear that Star Wars needs something fresh going forward, and they picked the wrong show to guide their way. This is strengthened by the fact that Dave Filoni, the man behind The Mandalorian and many of these shows, is now the Head of Lucasfilm. While Filoni is a trusted name among Star Wars fans, his vision may not be what is needed to push the franchise forward in the way the acclaim for Andor seemed to do.
Andor could still inspire Star Wars' future
It is safe to say that the success or failure of The Mandalorian and Grogu will dictate the future of the Star Wars franchise. It seems clear that Lucasfilm wants to recreate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, delivering a shared universe of characters and stories that appeal to a wide audience. However, Andor may have already shown that the audience is moving in another direction.
If The Mandalorian and Grogu fails, we could see a "reboot" of sorts for the Star Wars universe with the more serious and grounded approach of Andor being the guiding light. Many franchises have followed this exact path. When Batman strayed too far into silliness with Batman and Robin, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins brought the franchise back to its gritty strengths. When James Bond became too corny, Casino Royale also brought some grounded realism back into the franchise.
Star Wars may have reached a point where the tales of Jedi and adorable little critters are not enough to interest audiences anymore. They want more intense and mature stories that use this rich mythology to tell deeper stories than just offering up another good versus evil tale (no matter how entertaining it might be). It might be giving Disney too much credit to assume they would take such a risk. However, ignoring the success of Andor when thinking about the future would be a devastating mistake for the Star Wars franchise.
The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in movie theaters on May 22, 2026.