Lucasfilm Head Dave Filoni's Role In The Mandalorian And Grogu, Explained

"Star Wars" is making its grand return to feature films after nearly seven years. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" is headed to a theater near you, bringing the beloved characters from the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" from TV to the big screen, with director Jon Favreau at the helm. Favreau was largely responsible for creating the show, so it only makes sense. But he brought one of his most trusted collaborators — not to mention the current head of creative at Lucasfilm — along for the ride.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Favreau revealed Dave Filoni's role behind-the-scenes on "The Mandalorian and Grogu." Filoni is now one of the heads of Lucasfilm following leadership changes amid Kathleen Kennedy's departure, but he has been with Lucasfilm since his work on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," where he masterminded the animated side of the franchise.

Favreau was speaking about how the movie's story might have influenced the forthcoming "Ahsoka" Season 2, since "The Mandalorian" Season 4 was originally set to focus on Grand Admiral Thrawn. In discussing that, he revealed that Filoni was a key part of the creative team:

"I'm not sure to what extent [it affected 'Ahsoka' Season 2] — you'd have to ask Dave Filoni how, because he's been very closely in step with what we're doing. He was one of the producers, one of the writers on this. He directed second unit, puppet unit specifically. But I had written a Season 4 that did tie in to what had happened, more so to what happened before."

Filoni collaborated extensively with Favreau on the live-action shows, and naturally, the collaboration continued in the new movie. It only makes sense.

Whether or not Dave Filoni will have as much time on set for the new "Star Wars" movies in the future remains to be seen. Lynwen Brennan, formerly President and General Manager of Lucasfilm Business, is handling the executive side of Lucasfilm, while Filoni is heading up the creative. Sort of a two-headed monster. Even so, Filoni has to be more directly involved with the entire franchise, not just one project at a time.

But "The Mandalorian and Grogu" seeks to usher in a new era for "Star Wars." Not only because it's the first movie since 2019's "Rise of Skywalker," but because it's opening the door for different types of "Star Wars" movies to exist. There's undoubtedly a lot of pressure to have it go well. Disney and Lucasfilm have had a lot of luck leaning on Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni as a dynamic duo in the past. Undoubtedly, having them work so closely together on this movie was a welcome move.

The movie takes place several years after the fall of the Empire, with Imperial warlords scattered throughout the galaxy. The New Republic enlists bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu to help them establish order across the galaxy. Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Avatar") also stars.

Filoni was at one point set to direct a live-action "Star Wars" movie that would tie together all of the "Mandalorian" universe shows. That has since been put on the back burner, but Filoni was heavily involved in "Ahsoaka" Season 2, which is due to arrive on Disney+ in early 2027.

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" hits theaters on May 22, 2026.