The Mandalorian and Grogu Movie Bigger than the Small Screen? And Taika Waititi Reports on his Star Wars Project

New Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Bigger Than Ever, and Taika Waititi Update

We’re less than four months away from the next Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, but you’d never know it from Lucasfilm’s nearly nonexistent marketing campaign.

Fans have seen next to nothing from the film other than a poster, some select promo images, and a short 94-second teaser trailer that features only four spoken words, showing almost no expressive human faces while focusing only on masks, droids, and creatures.

Despite its origins as a hit TV show, Disney’s marketing isn’t treating this like a major theatrical release, unlike the aggressive approach they’re taking with Avengers: Doomsday, which is centered on high-stakes, “event-style” marketing even though that film is nearly eleven months away.

Disney may have its own reasons for holding off on promoting the film, but can Lucasfilm afford another clumsy marketing campaign like the one the company did with Solo: A Star Wars Story? With pretty much the highlight of that marketing being a promotional campaign at your local Denny’s restaurant. Now that would definitely be another unwanted disaster. Some analysts suggest this film is just being viewed as a bridge or a “soft launch” for the new era of Star Wars movies rather than the main event. However, that makes little sense because it’s the first big-screen Star Wars film in nearly seven years.

Fans have already expressed significant disappointment with The Mandalorian & Grogu project, with many criticizing the trailer for appearing more like a low-budget, “straight-to-DVD” TV episode rather than a feature film. Criticisms focus on the simplistic title, perceived regression in storytelling, and the reliance on Grogu as a “cute prop” rather than a developing character. 

Word-of-mouth and social media have really been the only driving forces so far behind creating and sustaining the massive popularity of The Mandalorian, which came from outlets such as Star Wars Holocron, Star Wars Meg, and Mandoverse Updates. Since the films’ announcement, online engagement, memes, and viral moments have driven, and sometimes outpaced, traditional marketing.

But today on the Chris and Company Podcast, we received some unexpected news from Lateef Crowder, a stunt performer for Din Djarin in the film, describing it as “groundbreaking” and significantly larger in scale than the television series. He emphasizes that the action is more extensive, aiming to surprise audiences while maintaining a seamless, collaborative performance with Brendan Wayne and Pedro Pascal. Yes, there are other actors under that helmet.

“I definitely have to communicate with them. Brendan is in the suit most of the time, so I watch what he’s doing in the scene, especially if my scene is coming up. It all has to blend and match so it feels seamless, where you don’t know if it’s me, Brendan, or Pedro.” Crowder said.

Crowder and Wayne have been around for quite some time, with their names finally being credited as co-leads in the credits of the Season 3 series, so it isn’t a surprise that one of them took the time to share feelings about the production, specifically the scale of the film compared to the series.

“I want people to be surprised… One thing I will say is there’s a lot of great action, a lot bigger than the series,” Crowder said.

With fans expressing their displeasure about the scale of the film, and some even stating that the film has a TV-show look, Crowder’s comments on the scale of the film are welcome.

Despite early criticism of a lack of hype, there is still time for a more aggressive marketing campaign to ramp up closer to the May release date. Come on, get it in gear, Disney!

One other thing before I go. Director Taika Waititi has indicated that his Star Wars project is still in development, which was mentioned by Kathleen Kennedy last week in her Deadline exit interview praising him for what he did with his Star Wars pitch,

Variety Magazine caught up with Waitiki as he was out and about and asked him to give a little more insight into the tone he’s aiming for with his big screen adventure. The Director said he’s hoping to ‘harness the fun from the original films‘ while presenting something fresh and unique for the saga.

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While official updates have been sparse, there’s still a possibility his film gets made. We will just have to see which direction new co-Lucasfilm Presidents Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan take us. But whatever changes happen in the galaxy far, far away, a new direction is probably for the better.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on May 22, 2026. The untitled Star Wars film, directed and co-written by Taika Waititi, remains in development at Lucasfilm.

May the Force be with you….