It's about time The Mandalorian and Grogu headed to the big screen – and it's the right move for Star Wars

Star Wars is coming back to theaters with a bang. A Mandalorian and Grogu movie has been announced – and there's simply no better way for the saga to make its return to the big screen. 

After the more divisive sequel trilogy came to an end with 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian arrived later the same year and reunited the fan base around love for Star Wars once more. The figures of a wandering, beskar-clad Mando and his adorable, little green charge became instantly iconic – and as synonymous with the galaxy far, far away as the menacing form of Darth Vader or the familiar shape of the Millenium Falcon. 

It's fairly surprising that it's taken this long for Mando and Grogu to make the jump to theatrical, then. My immediate reaction to the announcement – after a moment of sheer excitement – was: "It's about time." The saga has lived on the small screen since The Rise of Skywalker, but there's no better project to kickstart a new era than one starring this beloved father-son duo, who've so swiftly carved out their permanent places not just in the massive Star Wars canon, but in the hearts of fans everywhere, too (no easy task, after all). They deserve to take their place amid Star Wars's big screen heroes. 

It's Mando and Grogu's status as Star Wars stalwarts that makes it so easy for this project to act as the connective thread running through the new theatrical slate, too. The duo are incredibly flexible characters with fascinating potential; their adventures have already seen them cross paths with the likes of Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, and Ahsoka Tano. We could very well see the Force-sensitive Grogu pop up in the Rey movie down the line, and it'd be a shock if Din Djarin and Baby Yoda didn't appear in Dave Filoni's movie that's set to tie together the Disney Plus shows. 

As for the storytelling itself, there's plenty of scope for the Mandalorian movie to explore. Season 3 shifted focus from Grogu's Jedi journey to Mandalore, and it saw the warriors successfully reclaim their home planet – and the fabled Mythosaur awake underwater. Din Djarin and Baby Yoda then settled on Nevarro together after officially becoming a family; the slate has essentially been wiped clean for brand-new adventures. That could involve picking up on the aftermath of the Ahsoka finale, which saw the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (previously teased in The Mandalorian season 3), or it could see Mando and the Child strike out on an entirely new mission. 

If the Mandalorian movie is a totally standalone story, we already know that Din Djarin and Grogu can more than carry a compelling tale on their own. Many episodes across the show's three seasons have been self-contained quests, which have seen everything from Mando taking on a Mudhorn to Grogu chowing down on poor Frog Lady's eggs. These mini-adventures are some of the most fun I've had watching the show – and a self-contained story that doesn't rely too heavily on previous seasons of The Mandalorian or other Star Wars series makes a lot of sense for a theatrical debut, too. And, with The Mandalorian season 4 reportedly still happening alongside the movie, we'll be getting the best of both worlds anyway. 

Star Wars returning to the big screen is very welcome news; as excellent as the Disney Plus shows are, there's no denying that the saga's theatrical legacy is an incredible one, and I personally can't wait to make the pilgrimage back to the multiplex to revisit the galaxy far, far away. And, for that first trip back to the theater, there's no one I'd rather see front and center than the Mandalorian and Grogu. This is the Way! 

You can keep up to date with the galaxy far, far away with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.