The latest addition to the cast of the upcomingThe Mandalorian and Grogumovie all but confirms the fate ofThe Mandalorianseason 4, and it sadly isn’t promising for those holding out on the hope that it will happen.The Mandalorian’s spin-off movie was first announced in January 2024, presumed to be a rework of season 4 following delays from the Hollywood strikes in the latter part of 2023 - though this was never confirmed. Now, however, the newest addition toThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s castis a major clue as to what’s happened.
The BearstarJeremy Allen White was just recently announced as the voice of Rotta the Hutt, Jabba the Hutt’s son who was first seen in the animated 2008 movieStar Wars: The Clone Wars, which makes him the fourth official addition toThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s cast. Though not yet officially confirmed by Lucasfilm, this casting has already started to have a major effect on the speculation behind the story that’s coming together in this movie. Above all else is the fact that it actually connects back to something said around the time ofThe Mandalorianseason 4’s earliest development.
Dave Filoni Teased Rotta’s Return Back In May 2022
“Maybe He’ll Make A Comeback Somehow”
During a panel centered on the animatedTales of the Jediminiseries at Star Wars Celebration in 2022 (viaSkywalking Through Neverland),Dave Filoni actually mentioned Rotta the Hutt - and teased a potential return. When discussing galactic babies, courtesy of Grogu, Filoni brought up Rotta as the original baby who now gets the “short end of the stick.” Filoni went on to say that “Maybe he’ll make a comeback somehow. Who knows? He’s the original cute baby.”
In the short term, this didn’t seem highly significant, and it sounded much more like a simple joke to refer back to Rotta’s infamous tenure in the not-so well receivedThe Clone Warsmovie. Now, however, brand-new context makes this so much more than Filoni simply cracking a joke about Jabba the Hutt’s long-forgotten son. With someone as significant and decorated as Allen stepping into the live-action role of this character,Filoni’s words here now seem to suggest that a joke about Rotta’s return wasn’t really a joke, after all.
And Filoni Would Have Been In The Loop
The timeline of Filoni dropping this joke lines up perfectly with Jon Favreau’s own work onThe Mandalorianseason 4. It was confirmed during an interview at Star Wars Celebration 2022 thatFavreau was actively working onThe Mandalorianseason 4’s scriptsat the time, and by February 2023, Favreau had completed these scripts. This means thatFavreau’s work on season 4 was still very fluid at the time Filoni brought up Rotta, which again seemed quite insignificant at the time.
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Now, however, knowing that Rotta will be joiningThe Mandalorian and Grogu, it stands to reason that Filoni’s words weren’t a mere coincidence. This is especially true considering the fact that Filoni was the one to bring up Rotta the Hutt when those he was conversing with were simply talking about Grogu and other potentialStar Warsbaby characters.It’s starting to look like Rotta the Hutt was actually a part ofThe Mandalorianseason 4, after all, and that leaves some bad news for those hoping season 4 will still happen after this movie.
It Really Does Look As Though The Mandalorian Season 4 Became Star Wars' Next Movie
Is All Hope Lost For The Mandalorian Season 4?
If Rotta truly was a part ofThe Mandalorianseason 4, which is certainly how it looks right now, then that would meanThe Mandalorian and Groguhaving him as a key part of its story proves that season 4 has indeed been adapted into a movie- and no longer exists on its own. This was, however, to be expected, especially given reports leading up toThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s announcement that suggested it was season 4 being reworked into a movie rather than a brand-new movie being created. Still, it certainly is a blow for season 4 truthers.
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Of course, this doesn’t mean thatThe Mandalorianseason 4 can’t still happen one day; rather, it means that what once was season 4 no longer exists.The Mandalorian and Grogumay prove that season 4 doesn’t have to happen at all, and it could satisfy viewers enough to help them come to terms with this decision and this reality. Din Djarin and Grogu have certainly garnered enough star power to hold their own on the big screen, which could make up for the clear loss ofThe Mandalorianseason 4.
The Mandalorian
Cast
Released on August 19, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
