The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau reveals the difference between making Star Wars for TV and movies

'We have to up our game now'

The Mandalorian became a phenomenon when it launched in 2019 thanks to the show's immaculate sci-fi western vibes and an unnamed animatronic creature that fans came to know as Baby Yoda. Now, seven years and three seasons later, Mando (played by Pedro Pascal and a team of stuntmen) and Grogu (the creature's actual name, revealed in season 2) are making the leap to the big screen. For series creator Jon Favreau, who's also set to direct the Star Wars movie The Mandalorian & Grogu, adapting the story from one format to another has been a challenge on multiple levels.

Speaking at a special Disney event attended by Polygon to kick off a new lineup of The Mandalorian & Grogu toys and merchandise, Favreau reflected on the many ways he's had to crank things up to 11 while directing the movie.

"With Star Wars, we have to execute at that tech level," Favreau said. "So the challenge becomes: Okay, we presented a cinematic experience on the small screen. We have to up our game now to the movie theater. That means taller aspect ratios for IMAX, building sets that take full advantage of that, making the visual effects of the quality and caliber that we have to notch everything up. And then the storytelling as well."

The biggest challenge, however, is simply creating a Star Wars story that can keep fans engaged for about two hours (or however long The Mandalorian & Grogu ends up being).

"That adventure has to fill up the screen and has to be something — at this moment in time, when so much is competing for attention — that you're going to stop what you're doing, and you're going to go to a movie theater, and you're going to sit down in that movie theater, and you're not going to be able to pause it, and you're not going to be able to eat the food out of your refrigerator," Favreau said. "You have to have such a good experience that you say, 'This is worth my time. Let's go again. I want to bring you. You should go see it.'"

When asked if there was anything he could reveal about the movie's plot, Favreau also offered up a few details, and promised more soon:

"There's some stuff that people may have gotten clues to. He's in a Razor Crest now, which is the ship that he originally had. He's in the same model of ship. Grogu has leveled up a bit. We saw that he trained with Luke, and time has passed. So he's got a little of the Jedi influence. And then he's also an apprentice Mandalorian. So now it's time for dad to bring him on adventures. And pretty soon there will be a few more clues out there in the world."

What's next for Favreau in the Star Wars galaxy? He hasn't announced anything yet, though with his buddy Dave Filoni at the helm of Lucasfilm, he can probably do anything. Then again, Favreau's statement at this event suggests he just might be getting ready to move on.

"I've been working on Star Wars now for seven years," Favreau said, "and to be able to step up to doing it as a film feels like a culmination of what I'm working on."

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The Mandalorian & Grogu flies into theaters on May 22, 2026.