The Mandalorian has long been one of the flagship series on Disney+ since the streamer launched six years ago. After three seasons, Din Djarin is gearing up to make the jump from the small screen to the big screen, as director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu will end a prolonged Star Wars movie hiatus when it premieres next summer. As exciting as it is to see the titular dynamic duo headline a feature film, fans can’t help but wonder if they’ll ever see a fourth season of The Mandalorian. At one point, Season 4 was reportedly in development, but it seemingly hasn’t taken any steps forward since the movie is Lucasfilm’s top priority. Those hoping to see The Mandalorian eventually return won’t like what actor Katy O’Brian has to say.
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Speaking with Polygon, O’Brian was asked about her future as Elia Kane, an officer who worked in Moff Gideon’s Imperial remnant and operated as a spy while she was part of the New Republic Amnesty Program. “I don’t know if they’re going to do a Season 4,” she said. “I know the movie’s coming out. I know I’m not in it.”
Why The Mandalorian Season 4 May Not Happen
Actors can typically be among the last to know about a franchise project, so it’s possible The Mandalorian Season 4 is in development and O’Brian just hasn’t been contacted to return yet. It’s also possible that Elia Kane doesn’t have a place in The Mandalorian‘s future; that character was so connected to Moff Gideon, who seemingly died at the end of The Mandalorian Season 3. Unless that was a fake-out death, Kane may not have a role in any kind of continuation. However, it’s becoming increasingly likely there won’t be a fourth season of the show.
Earlier this year, rumors purported that The Mandalorian Season 4 isn’t going to happen. Instead, if The Mandalorian & Grogu is successful, Lucasfilm could pursue a sequel to the film. The studio seems to be altering its output strategy moving forward, pivoting back to movies after years of producing TV series. Right now, the only live-action Star Wars show coming through the pipeline is Ahsoka Season 2, and Lucasfilm is busy rounding out a new film slate. Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter is set to premiere in May 2027, and Kathleen Kennedy mentioned several other planned films during Star Wars Celebration Japan this spring. Lucasfilm continues to develop animated shows (Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord), but there’s been no word on other live-action shows after Ahsoka.
During development of Star Wars: Andor Season 2, Disney told showrunner Tony Gilroy that “streaming is dead,” indicating that perhaps the shift back to Star Wars movies is part of a larger company-wide initiative. The Mouse House and its various subsidiaries aren’t going to stop making new shows entirely (Marvel Studios already has a green light for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3), but it’s no longer the top priority. At the outset of the streaming wars, there was a big push to get as much content out as possible, and as a result, popular brands like Marvel and Star Wars oversaturated the marketplace with projects that achieved varying degrees of success. The abundance of shows diluted the brand and arguably made it less special.
Disney seems to have learned its lesson and is now more interested in scaling back, which ideally will make the latest Marvel and Star Wars projects stand out more. We may not see something like 2022, when Star Wars saw The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor Season 1 all release new episodes, again. Things can change, obviously, but right now, it appears as if Star Wars’ future is on the big screen.
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