A surprising claim by Hollywood scooper Jeff Sneider suggests that The Mandalorian season 4 will be a film rather than a series – which would once again upend Lucasfilm’s Star Wars plans.
Well, here’s something we didn’t see coming. Industry insider Jeff Sneider has claimed on his Hot Mic podcast (via Dark Horizons) that Lucasfilm is porting its plans for a fourth season of the Star Wars show, The Mandalorian, into a film instead.
What’s more, that film is now said to be the next Star Wars project on the studio’s slate, leapfrogging Star Wars: New Jedi Order which is already looking at a lengthy delay.
Should the report prove to be true, this is a typically disruptive move from Lucasfilm, a studio that seems to thrive on changing plans and making up (and announcing) projects without a great deal of forethought. (It should be noted that this is a leak though and not an official announcement.)
While reviews of The Mandalorian's third season didn’t exactly set the world alight, the show – which follows the adventures of bounty hunter, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his ward, Grogu – is generally regarded as one of the better Star Wars projects to come out of Lucasfilm since its acquisition by Disney in 2012.
Read more: The Mandalorian interview | Jon Favreau on season three
Should it be true, this feels like a risky move from Lucasfilm: should the film not do well, it doesn’t just damage the relaunch of Star Wars as a theatrical experience, it could also brick one of the franchise’s few true successes on the small screen. Plus, if Sneider’s take on timings here is accurate, can we really see Lucasfilm relaunching Star Wars on cinema screens to the world (after what will be a six year hiatus) with a character who has so much existing backstory that needs to be watched elsewhere?
If Lucasfilm is concerned about the Daisy Ridley film not making its scheduled 2025 release date (and it must be, given that Sneider is now saying it may not shoot until September of 2024) then we’re not sure fast-tracking a project based on The Mandalorian is the best answer to that problem.
We may have to wait a while to see what happens next with this one, but it seems like an odd move for a studio that really can’t afford another high-profile misstep.
Read more: Lucasfilm and Star Wars | The Status of its 2020 slate of TV and film projects
