Highlights
- Dave Filoni's upcoming Star Wars movie, which concludes the post-Return of the Jedi storyline, is anticipated to be an exciting cinematic finale for fans of The Mandalorian.
- Filoni's experience in TV raised concerns about whether his Mando-verse movie would translate well to the big screen, but the impressive visuals of Ahsoka have put those concerns to rest.
- While there are no confirmed plot details, it's likely that the movie will involve Mando, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, and others teaming up to take down the Imperial villain, Thrawn, showcasing the full potential of the Mando-verse in a feature-length film.
At the Star Wars Celebration event back in April, Lucasfilm announced a new Star Wars movie to be directed by Dave Filoni. While the details of the plot are being kept under wraps, this movie is expected to conclude the post-Return of the Jedi storyline set up by The Mandalorian and its various spin-offs. There are plenty of other Star Wars films in development – a movie about Rey’s post-Rise of Skywalker adventures from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a religious epic about the dawn of the Jedi from James Mangold, a Lando movie from Donald and Stephen Glover (previously developed as a limited series) – but Filoni’s movie is arguably the most exciting, since it’s essentially a feature-length Mandalorian finale being released on the big screen. If rumors are to be believed, the movie is tentatively being referred to as Heir to the Empire, suggesting Grand Admiral Thrawn will be the villain.
The promise of seeing Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano, Grogu, Boba Fett, Bo-Katan, and maybe even Luke Skywalker taking on Thrawn on the silver screen is a truly tantalizing prospect. But when Filoni was initially announced to be directing the project, it was a little worrying, because Filoni comes from TV. His head is in the TV space and his creative process has been developed in the TV world, so the Mando-verse movie could’ve turned out to be an extended TV episode instead of a big, cinematic movie that demands to be seen in a theater. However, the cinematic visuals of Ahsoka have put those concerns to rest and proven that Filoni can handle big-screen spectacle.
Ahsoka's Cinematic Visuals Prove Dave Filoni's Mandalorian Movie Can Be Great
The flawless visual effects and mesmerizing cinematography of Ahsoka have proven that Filoni’s Mandalorian movie can reach its full cinematic potential. Unlike the other live-action Star Wars shows, Ahsoka makes seamless use of The Volume technology. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, the sprawling desert vistas of Tatooine never seem bigger than 10 square feet because the actors are clearly standing on a soundstage surrounded by TV screens displaying a fake, glossy desert environment. But in Ahsoka, the spaces never feel so limited. Cinematographers Eric Steelberg and Quyen Tran shoot the StageCraft action in a truly immersive way that conveys the vastness of the CG settings.
Thrawn’s arrival in “Part Six: Far, Far Away” captures the foreboding scale of his monolithic Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on an ancient temple. The moody lighting and misty atmosphere of the show’s lightsaber duels evoke the breathtaking samurai swordfights of a Kurosawa classic. The best sequences in Ahsoka would’ve been mind-blowing on the big screen. Imagine seeing the Clone Wars flashback in a theater, with explosions piercing through the literal fog of war to illuminate unnerving flashes of Vader. Imagine if Thrawn’s grand entrance was projected onto a 30-foot screen and the cult-like Night Trooper chant came booming out of industrial-sized speakers.
What Will Dave Filoni's Star Wars Movie Be About?
Much like every other Star Wars film in development, there are no confirmed plot details for Filoni’s Mando-verse movie. But it’s fairly easy to see the direction they’re heading in with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The Mandalorian’s season 3 finale has reset the status quo and sent Mando and Grogu back to the simple lives of bounty hunters. But instead of hunting down criminals for the guild, they’ll be hunting down Imperial scum for the New Republic. One of the announced Mandalorian spin-offs, Rangers of the New Republic, was canceled after Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano, who was expected to star in the series as Cara Dune. Mando’s newfound work with the New Republic seems to be folding the planned Rangers storylines into the flagship series. The movie could see Mando and Grogu calling in all the favors they can to go after the most valuable Imperial bounty of all: Thrawn.
The Book of Boba Fett ended with Boba and Fennec giving up the crime lord lifestyle to pursue a greater purpose. Perhaps that greater purpose will be taking down what’s left of the evil Empire he once served. The Ahsoka series has shown off the full scale of the Imperial Remnants and the Night Troopers’ cult-like reverence for Thrawn. The titular ronin has been determined to defeat Thrawn since her live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2, so she’ll undoubtedly be involved in Mando’s quest to vanquish the Imperial Remnants. There’s enough room in a feature-length runtime to bring in all the familiar icons from the Mando-verse for the showdown with Thrawn, even if some of them just provide a second-act stepping stone with Star Wars’ new favorite plot device: a star map.
While the “climactic story event” description provided by Lucasfilm seems to suggest Filoni’s movie will be Star Wars’ answer to Avengers: Endgame, it sounds more like Infinity War with a sprawling ensemble of heroes banding together to take on a common enemy. The sky is the limit for Filoni’s movie, both narratively and aesthetically. Whatever story the Mando-verse movie has in store, based on the jaw-dropping visuals of Ahsoka, it’ll look incredible.