Season 3 of Disney+'s The Mandalorian premiered on the streaming service on March 1, with the season finale airing nearly two months later on April 19.
Season 4 of the flagship Star Wars show is already in the works, and series creator Jon Favreau already confirmed that he finished writing the scripts months ago while Season 3 was in post-production.
It could still be years before the next installment of The Mandalorian sees the light of day, but there are still many aspects that fans need to know in preparation for the upcoming Season 4.
When Will The Mandalorian Season 4 Release?
Disney has given no indication as to when Season 4 of The Mandalorian could hit Disney+, but due to the success that the show brings, the House of Mouse will likely want to get it out as quickly as possible.
The original plans for Season 4 were to begin the production process in September. That was before the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began striking on May 2, which could affect the start date of filming if an agreement isn't made between the WGA and the film studios soon.
The latest updates regarding the strikes allude that studios such as Disney won't budge and will instead hold their ground and wait until the striking writers are in desperate need of work.
Many insiders theorize that this will happen in late fall, more specifically around the end of October, but some have said that it could even be around Christmas until an agreement is reached.
Assuming that the strikes would end between the end of October and Christmas, that would mean that Season 4 of The Mandalorian wouldn't begin filming until around the beginning of 2024.
It is also important to note that the writing for Season 4 is already technically finished, as Jon Favreau confirmed that he started writing the episodes for the upcoming installment back in May 2022 and then confirmed in February 2023 that he was finished.
However, even though the scripts are finished, rewrites couldn't technically be done due to the strikes and these rewrites often happen on-set.
However, another wrench was thrown into the studio's plans when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike started, which means that The Mandalorian's actors will also not be present until their guild can reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
There is a bit more uncertainty as to when the actors' strike will end than there is with the writers' strike.
Many stars and SAG-AFTRA executives have stated that they will not negotiate with the AMPTP until it talks with them and negotiates with them.
This means the actors' strike could last two weeks or two months, and according to SAG-AFTRA, it is all up to the AMPTP when it does end.
Assuming that the actors' strike will also end around the same time as the WGA, that would mean that production on Season 4 of The Mandalorian will likely start in January 2024, which is four months later than the original expectation.
Filming would then realistically end sometime around June 2024, and then Season 4 would probably hit Disney+ around a year later, maybe even a little earlier, so a safe assumption about the release window is between May and June 2024.
However, if the strikes do go on longer than anticipated, Season 4 of The Mandalorian may not release until the second half of 2024, possibly around late August, similar to when Ahsoka is coming out this year.
The Mandalorian Season 4 Cast: Who Will Return?
A majority of the original cast that was introduced in Season 1 of The Mandalorian returned for other past seasons, and Season 4 will also see many of them come back into the fold.
Below are the major characters and actors that are likely to return for Season 4:
Pedro Pascal - The Mandalorian (Din Djarin)
The Mandalorian's titular hero is Din Djarin, and he is played by top-billed actor Pedro Pascal.
Din's father-to-Grogu character arc wrapped up at the end of Season 3 when he officially adopted Grogu as a Mandalorian foundling, but the two will likely face new dangers in Season 4 as they continue their journey together.
Katee Sackhoff - Bo-Katan Kryze
Katee Sackhoff was introduced in live-action for the first time in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, and Season 3 saw her play just as major a role as anyone. The last time fans saw Bo-Katan she was assuming her role as ruler of Mandalore and uniting all of the clans. She, along with the rest of Mandalore, may need to really come together in the future.
Emily Swallow - The Armorer
Many fans theorized that Emily Swallow's character was actually working for Moff Gideon at the end of Season 3. However, she proved her loyalty by helping defeat Gideon and his Imperial remnant, and even officially gave Grogu the Din family name.
Carl Weathers - High Magistrate Greef Karga
Between Seasons 2 and 3, Greef Karga worked hard to rebuild the town of Nevarro and eventually became its High Magistrate. He and Din Djarin came into contact with one another a couple of times during Season 3, and with Din and Grogu now living back on Nevarro, fans may get to see Greef in a greater role in Season 4.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee - Carson Teva
Carson Teva has been a recurring character in The Mandalorian, but the ending of Season 3 teased that he will have more screen time in the near future. He and Din built a fairly strong relationship and trust with one another, and he may need Din's help in Season 4 if the New Republic gets into some trouble.
Giancarlo Esposito - Moff Gideon
It is important to note that the chances that Giancarlo Esposito will return as Moff Gideon in Season 4 are around 50/50. It appeared as though Gideon was finally defeated for good at the end of Season 3, but if Disney and Lucasfilm want him to return, they could easily say it was one of his clones that was killed and not the real Moff.
It is also worth noting that Esposito publicly stated his desire to come back, and even specifically said he "would love to keep dying and coming back."
What Will Happen in The Mandalorian Season 4?
Season 3 of The Mandalorian ended in an extremely series-finale kind of way with Din Djarin and Grogu literally looking into the Nevarro sunset just before the credits rolled.
That may not give away any plot details of Season 4, but it does make it seem as though the first chapter in the book of Din Djarin and Grogu is now closed.
Din accomplished what he set out to do in Season 1, and that was to find Grogu's home - he just didn't know that the foundling's home was with him at the time.
With the closure that was provided in Season 3, it can be inferred that Season 4 will start an entirely new arc for all of the characters involved in the show.
It actually wouldn't be that far out to theorize that there will be a time jump at the start of Season 4, and fans may even be greeted in the first episode's cold open with a talking Grogu.
However, the meat of Season 4 will likely serve as a sort of intermission for the story of the MandoVerse before all of the interconnected shows start really building toward Thrawn and the Heir to the Empire-esque feature film that Dave Filoni will be directing.
It wouldn't be surprising if the first 75% of Season 4 is just Din and Grogu working bounty missions for the New Republic before a massive plot twist happens near the end of the installment to really set up Thrawn and tie in Ahsoka to The Mandalorian.
Some of Ahsoka's characters could even work their way into the very end of Season 4 to really prove that all of these shows are building toward the same goal, and that would really push fan anticipation through the roof for the upcoming film.
Jon Favreau even teased that Season 4 could feature a major crossover with some of the characters from the upcoming Skeleton Crew series, and if that is the case, then the universe will really be expanding soon.
Will Pedro Pascals' Face Be Shown in Mandalorian Season 4?
As new seasons of The Mandalorian come out on Disney+, fans wonder more and more if Din Djarin's helmet will come off and Pedro Pascal's face will be shown.
While it would be an excellent marketing strategy to have Pascal's face on-screen due to how popular the actor is, it would almost diminish the show's quality and the previous times that Djarin's helmet was removed.
The only times that Pascal's face was shown in the first three seasons came at moments of great importance.
In Season 1, he was gravely injured and had to remove his helmet in order to be healed by IG-11. This was an important moment because he doesn't let anyone see his face, and he needed to be healed in order to live and help save the day.
In Season 2, Djarin removed his helmet in front of an entire room of Imperials so he could figure out where Grogu had been taken, and then Pascal's face was shown one more time in the Season 2 finale to allow Grogu to see his face.
With all that being said, there would have to be an incredibly important and emotional moment happen in Season 4 to justify showing Pascal's face.
Due to just how heavy the other moments were where his face was seen, it would be hard to think of anything that would elevate the show as a whole.
However, if Pascal's schedule is fairly clear while Season 4 is filming and can afford to be on-set for a significant amount of time, his face will likely be shown at least once as he is so recognizable and loved by fans.
Is The Mandalorian Season 4 The Final Season?
In short, it is easy to say that Season 4 of The Mandalorian will not be the final installment.
The show is way too popular on Disney+ and is too connected to a larger universe for it to just end, and Jon Favreau stated on many different occasions that there are "a lot more stories to tell" with Din Djarin.
As previously mentioned, it is also important to remember that The Mandalorian is the central part of a larger universe called the MandoVerse.
Other series such as The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew are also a part of this interconnected universe, and The Mandalorian is where they really all connect to.
Seeing as how the feature film that will culminate all of these shows is still a few years off, it would be nearly impossible for Season 4 to be the final installment.
There were rumors, however, that the series will be retitled after Season 4 due to how the upcoming installment will end.
This change could result in the title being something like "'The Mandalore'" according to the rumor.
No details were given about this "end," just that it could majorly change the trajectory of the future of The Mandalorian.
How Many Episodes Will The Mandalorian Season 4 Have?
Sometimes it can be confusing trying to predict how many episodes an upcoming TV series will have because they all seem to be different.
All three Seasons of The Mandalorian had eight episodes, The Book of Boba Fett contained seven episodes, Andor had the most with 12 episodes in its first installment, and Ahsoka is set to have six.
It is a little odd that all of the Star Wars shows have a different number of episodes, but since the first three seasons of The Mandalorian all have eight episodes, it is safe to assume that Season 4 will be the same.
The formula of eight episodes per season worked for the first three installments and seems to be a number that Jon Favreau is comfortable with, so any seasons that come in the future will probably all have that number as well.
The first three seasons of The Mandalorian are available to stream on Disney+.
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