It's time to discuss the Star Wars prequels like it's 1999.

Speaking on the Class Clown podcast (H/T Variety), Peter Serafinowicz – who voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – recalled his displeasure with the experience.

"The design of it… I wasn't that into it," Serafinowicz said of Maul's Dathomir look. "When I saw the film, it was the biggest disappointment of my life at that point. It really was."

Serafinowicz, who was replaced as the voice of Maul by Sam Witwer in future projcets, even revealed how Star Wars creator George Lucas compared him to Darth Vader's voice actor, James Earl Jones. It didn't seem to go down that well.

"Suddenly there I was with George Lucas, and he was like saying, 'Well, Peter, you're the new James Earl Jones,' and I was like, 'Fucking hell, am I? Then why are you paying me such shit money, George?'"

Whatever Serafinowicz's opinion, it can't be doubted that Darth Maul emerged from the prequels as one of its most iconic aspects. The twin-blade lightsaber-wielding Sith went on to play a key role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars before starring in his own Disney Plus animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord.

Recently, fellow Star Wars villain actor Ian McDiarmid has revealed that Lucas once had plans for a Palpatine TV show, seemingly charting his life from Chancellor to Emperor. But that's not a story Disney will tell you.

For more from a galaxy far, far away, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

The Mandalorian and Grogu star Brendan Wayne has defended the movie's box office performance – and also hinted at Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni's grander plan.

Wayne is one of the Din Djarin suit performers and has played Mando since season 1 of the Disney Plus show.

Speaking to Brandon Davis, Wayne was asked what makes Filoni the right man for the top Lucasfilm job. As part of his answer, Wayne explained: "Dave's understanding of like, 'Hey, we're going to tell a story, and we're going to tell it over, three movies, or this next episode, this next season of Ahsoka.' He understands that it's not all about, did we open well against Solo, or whatever it was? We were amazing because we didn't have the budget of those movies, and we still did something."

The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted to a $165 million opening weekend on a budget of a matching $165 million, and its total global gross now stands at $297 million. While it has made almost double its production budget, it is the lowest grossing Star Wars movie ever, behind Solo's $392.9 million.

What's especially intriguing about Wayne's answer, though, is the concept of telling a story over three movies and the next season of Ahsoka. Whether Wayne is just speaking hypothetically, or whether there really is a plan for more movies, remains to be seen…

What is clear, though, is that Ahsoka season 2 is going to have huge ramifications for the galaxy far, far away.

"Anybody who saw the sequels knows that there's a First Order coming in, like, 20 years from where we are now in the storyline," Jon Favreau has previously teased. "And then Ahsoka season 2 is coming out – which I've seen all of – and that's definitely more dealing with the larger [picture], a higher level. That's about the officers and we're the enlisted men – this is more of a ground-level experience of what's going on. You're seeing the backdrop – which, by the way, is what the first Star Wars started off as."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Mad Max director George Miller is reportedly shopping a final Mad Max movie and TV show around Hollywood, before he plans to sell the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise off to the highest bidder, according to a new report.

The news arrives via Puck, which claims that the 81-year-old maestro of mayhem has been meeting major studios around Hollywood after Warner Bros – Mad Max's traditional home – turned down the opportunity to make both the movie and the show. Universal, Amazon and Sony are reported to be among the interested parties.

This isn't a huge surprise. While true that Warner Bros. has distributed all five Mad Max movies over the last 40+ years, 2024's Fury Road prequel Furiosa was something of a flop, earning just $174 million on a $168 million budget, meaning the studio Warner Bros likely lost over $100 million on the movie. This despite overwhelmingly positive reviews – back in 2024 our Furiosa review awarded the movie 4 stars, while it currently sits on 90% over at Rotten Tomatoes.

It's a safe bet that any 'final' Mad Max movie would be centered on Max Rockatansky, though the idea that Tom Hardy would reprise Max after the rocky production of Fury Road seems unlikely. A script, called The Wasteland, was written in conjunction with Fury Road and Furiosa, and is presumably the film Miller now hopes to make.

A Mad Max TV show has long been mooted. Miller even considered making a TV show set in the Wasteland during the decade-long development process of Fury Road, before he turned his attention to that modern action classic.

But it certainly sounds like Miller has an ambitious plan for his Mad Max swan song if reports are true. Miller, famously, owns the rights to Mad Max and clearly wants to put the pedal to the metal one final time before handing the beloved series over to a new custodian.

The future of Mad Max is uncertain, but you can read about all the movies hitting screens in the near future with our list of upcoming movies.

Jon Favreau says The Phantom Menace inspired a tiny detail in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

In the in-theater director commentary, Favreau revealed that the red laser barriers in the stadium where Din Djarin is forced to fight Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) were inspired by the Duel of the Fates sequence in The Phantom Menace (H/T Laughing Place). Remember those laser gates on Naboo in the infamous fight scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi faces off against Darth Maul? It's a subtle reference, but a cool one nonetheless.

Favreau also revealed that the video game Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order was used as a reference for what the inside of an All Terrain Armored Transport, aka an AT-AT walker, looks like. The worlds depicted in various Star Wars graphic novels also helped the art team figure out what the planet of Nal Hutta should look like.

The director commentary is available in over 6,000 US theaters via the TheaterEars app, and is currently only available in the United States. The commentary itself, and more, will likely arrive with the later streaming and VOD release of the film. As the movie is still in theaters, we likely have quite a while to wait before that happens.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

The Mandalorian and Grogu director Jon Favreau has shared which scene from the Star Wars movie was filmed first, and it's my favorite moment.

In the director's commentary currently available to moviegoers via the TheatersEars app, Favreau revealed that the very first thing shot for the film is the plate of the ocean at Adelphi Base, where Grogu and Rotta the Hutt play in the tides together (via Laughing Place).

Now, if you're not up on filmmaking lingo, a plate shot is something filmed to be used in a VFX shot. So, this means the ocean itself was filmed, and Grogu and Rotta added later.

The scene is my favorite in the whole movie – which might come as a surprise, considering all the action, or that beautiful sequence involving Grogu fending for himself. But, the brief, adorable moment acts to emphasize the growing friendship between Rotta and Grogu (one of the reasons Rotta is my MVP of the movie), and, as Din Djarin watches on, it's a sweet reminder that these two get to play in the surf because they have a protector willing to save them from the galaxy's villains.

The director's commentary has revealed all kinds of fun behind the scenes facts about the Star Wars movie, including that Favreau sought George Lucas's permission for one part of the film, Edgar Wright had some advice regarding Embo the bounty hunter, a Luke Skywalker reference was added last minute, one of the best lines was improv, the Droid Gotra were inspired by a scrapped Star Wars game, and Jedi: Fallen Order helped with one action sequence.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Steven Spielberg is about to release his first original sci-fi blockbuster in 25 years, Disclosure Day, but the legendary director says he doesn't mind if audiences watch "first-run" movies at home, even if he prefers movie theaters.

Speaking on The Rest is Entertainment podcast, Spielberg touched on the importance of theatrical distribution post-COVID, revealing that his once militant stance on streamers seems to have softened somewhat.

"It’s critical for the longevity of motion picture exhibition, without which everything will become a home experience, or basically a smartphone experience," Spielberg said. "I don’t think anybody should watch a first-run movie on a very tiny screen. It’s okay to come home and watch a first-run movie on a screen in your home, but I prefer movie theaters. I prefer the moviegoing experience. I was raised that way."

Spielberg, of course, is one of the few major directors left who has yet to direct a movie or TV show for one of the streaming giants, though his company, Amblin, did produce The Thursday Murder Club for Netflix last year. Just a few years ago, Spielberg had harsh words for HBO Max in particular, after the streamer's 'Project Popcorn' initiative saw a full year's worth of theatrical movies debut day and date on the streamer, without filmmaker input, including Dune and Mortal Kombat.

"We all got into our own bomb shelters during Covid," Spielberg continued. "And I think people are now starting to realise the importance of big group communal experiences, of getting our communities back together again: watching concerts, watching plays, watching movies, watching opera, going to the New York City Ballet. People getting back together again is the greatest way to bridge our differences.”

Disclosure Day is Spielberg's latest movie, and something of a companion piece to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. It stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor as two strangers on the run from an extra-governmental organization tasked with keeping the existence of aliens under wraps from the public. Already seen the movie? Check out our Disclosure Day ending explained. Still avoiding spoilers? Then our spoiler-free Disclosure Day review has you covered.

Disclosure Day is out now in UK cinemas, and releases in US theaters on June 12. For more, dive into our list of upcoming movies heading your way throughout the year.

Three months after it hit cinemas, sci-fi adventure movie Project Hail Mary has finally set a streaming release date. But unlike past Amazon movies, the film won't be heading to Prime Video straight away.

Project Hail Mary will be available to stream on MGM+ from June 18. Despite being owned by Amazon, MGM+ is a standalone streaming service, but it can also be added as a channel on Prime Video. Formerly known as EPIX, MGM+ has slowly been building, offering original content like horror series FROM and Godfather of Harlem.

This isn't a huge surprise, as the movie was made by Amazon MGM Studios, and other projects the studio has released this year, including Spider-Noir, have been shown on MGM+ before heading to Prime Video. Nevertheless, it is still disappointing that Prime Video subscribers won't get to see Amazon's theatrical movies as soon as they used to.

Based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary follows Ryan Gosling as science teacher turned astronaut Ryland Grace, who one day wakes up in space on a mission to save the world. However, he has his buddy Rocky the alien to keep him company. The movie is directed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's creative duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, from a script written by Drew Goddard.

Project Hail Mary debuted to a near-perfect 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, and opened to $80.5 million in the US, marking Amazon's biggest opening ever. The movie went on to gross $680 million globally. In our Project Hail Mary review, we call the movie a "large-scale sci-fi" with "stunning visuals, a beautifully emotional story, and a delightful central bond between Ryan Gosling's Grace and Rocky the alien."

However, Project Hail Mary is just one of Amazon's big-screen movies of 2026, as on June 5, He-Men adaptation Masters of the Universe was released. The fantasy movie has yet to reach the success of Project Hail Mary, earning just over $29 million during its opening weekend in the US. Upcoming Amazon MGM Studios movies heading to theaters later this year include How to Rob a Bank, Verity, and I Play Rocky.

For more, check out our guide to the best Prime Video movies, and keep up with new movies heading your way in 2026 and beyond.

The Mandalorian and Grogu may be a standalone movie, but the Star Wars film includes a flurry of nods to the franchise and has brought up many discussions within the fan base, including how powerful the Hutts are.

Over on Reddit, one fan pointed out how the new movie shines a new light on the Hutts after Jabba made a rather weak first impression in the original trilogy. "For the longest time, I've heard about how Legends paints the Hutts of Old as these great warriors," said the fan, "I never really believed it when my only point of reference was the likes of Jabba and the Hutt Council… Then I saw how Rotta was moving in the new movie and completely understood all of it."

Let's face it, when we meet Jabba in Return of the Jedi, we see a bloated, idle crime lord who, yes, has immense power, but he is not exactly a warrior. The sluggish villain made it hard to understand how he got into such a position. Enter Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian and Grogu. The new movie gives us insight into what the Hutts can do at the peak of their power, which is demonstrated in the arena scene, where we see a jacked Rotta, voiced by Jeremy Allen White, show off his talents.

"Sure, he's still probably not beating anything in a foot race," added the fan, "but the sheer intimidation factor of this Slug Hulk charging at you like a demon, followed by the strength to lift some of the most deadly creatures in the galaxy and toss them around like toys… Combine all of this with the aforementioned blaster-resistant hide, and I can finally understand why these guys are so feared even before their empire."

Other fans seem to agree, as one replied, "Hutts are like tongues, pure muscle, but leisurely life makes them fat," and another added, "Honestly, Rotta has become one of my favourite new characters just because of how he makes people realise how dangerous Hutts are when they aren't fat and lazy."

When the movie first hit screens, our writer singled Rotta out as the real MVP of The Mandalorian and Grogu, writing, "from the moment Rotta is introduced in the film, it's obvious he's going to be a ton of fun."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is out in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order, and keep up with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading your way.

Star Wars stories in a galaxy far, far away often take inspiration from wider media in the iconic franchise. But we didn't expect this.

As Jon Favreau revealed during a cinema-exclusive director's commentary on The Mandalorian and Grogu, the cancelled Uncharted-like Star Wars 1313 was influential to the droid group guarding the Nal Hutta palace.

As per Laughing Place, the Droid Gotra were 'borrowed' from the scrapped LucasArts title, which would have centred around Boba Fett on Coruscant.

Perhaps the most famous Star Wars video game that never was, 1313 was dropped after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the shuttering of LucasArts. Perhaps it's no surprise that remnants of the project live on, however.

Ex-Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy told Slash Film back in 2015 "we don't want to throw any of that stuff away" in regards to 1313 or George Lucas' ambitious TV show Star Wars: Underworld.

The Mandalorian also has previous history with repurposing 1313 concepts. So, even if we never get to play as Boba Fett in a fully-fledged rampage through the galaxy's criminal underworld, some of the game's legacy stretches out into streaming and big-budget blockbusters.

The curious case of the in-cinema director's commentary, meanwhile, has thrown up several gems for those listening via the TheatreEars app – including why director Edgar Wright gets a thank you in the credits and how a Luke Skywalker reference was added on the day of filming.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in cinemas. For more, see our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

While the Masters of the Universe post-credits scenes set up a sequel, it isn't quite the story fans are hoping to see next.

Instead, everyone seems to be crying out for more Skeletor, the skull-faced villain ruling Prince Adam's home planet of Eternia.

"I want a Skeletor 30-minute weekly sitcom," said one person on Twitter, along with pictures of Skeletor in his HR and gym bro guises, and they're not the only fan who wants to see more of the villain's funny side.

"Don't we all?" agreed another fan, while another simply said: "Yesssssssss"

"What if Skeletor isn't defeated, he's just stuck on Earth for a while like Adam was? He has just enough of his powers to be a dick, but not quite enough to conquer his HOA" said someone else.

"I wish they did this bit a couple more times with Skeletor, my whole audience was cracking up. Have him as Adam's hippie roommate crying over romcoms, as a geek in the comic book store…" said another fan.

"If he doesn't end every single episode with "Until next time" what are we even doing here?" is another person's idea.

Before Skeletor gets his time in the sun, though, it looks like it'll be time for She-Ra. Adam's twin sister is introduced in the movie's second post-credits scene, and it seems she's returning to Eternia. But, the third and final post-credits scene also sets up Skeletor's return, so the bad guy isn't out for the count yet.

Masters of the Universe underperformed during its opening weekend, but Amazon MGM is happy with the result. "[Director] Travis Knight and the entire cast and filmmaking team have delivered something truly special, and this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy – building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window," said the studio's domestic distribution chief, Kevin Wilson, in a statement.

The film is in theaters now. For more, check out our Masters of the Universe review, or our roundup of the most exciting upcoming movies.

Filmmaker Edgar Wright had one key note after watching an early screening of The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it has to do with the movie's evil bounty hunter, Embo.

According to the director's commentary provided by Jon Favreau, which movie-goers can listen to in-theater thanks to the TheaterEars app, Wright suggested that the best way to introduce Embo in the film was to have him appear earlier (H/T The Holo Files). Initially, our live-action introduction to Embo was when he breaks into Din and Grogu's house to capture Din on the orders of the Hutt Twins. Having him subtly appear in the corner of the screen when Din and Grogu fly back to Nevarro makes things a little more ominous (especially with his overall sinister appearance), and sets up the danger to come.

We first met Embo in The Clone Wars season 2 episode 17, and his arc ended with him and his anooba Marrok joining the Fett syndicate. It's also worth noting that Embo has a different anooba (his wolf-like hunting partner) in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

The director commentary is only available to United States fans (at least for now), as the TheaterEars app is available in over 6,000 US movie theaters. The commentary itself, and more, will likely arrive with the later streaming and VOD release of the film.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

A Luke Skywalker reference in The Mandalorian and Grogu was added during filming, Jon Favreau has revealed.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is still in theaters, and now you can listen in on Favreau's director's commentary with the TheatersEars app. As you might expect, the commentary is revealing all kinds of interesting details about the film.

During the movie, when Mando is injured and Grogu must fend for himself, we see Baby Yoda seated on a tree trunk and meditating. It's a call back to Grogu's stint training as a Jedi Padawan with Luke Skywalker, as seen in The Book of Boba Fett: in episode 6 of that show, we saw Luke and Grogu meditating together.

According to Favreau (via Laughing Place), he had the idea for the meditation scene in The Mandalorian and Grogu on the day of filming, and he used some spare time to capture the moment. He explained that he thinks Grogu learned to meditate from Luke, and the former-Padawan could be "continuing Jedi training on his own."

During The Book of Boba Fett, Luke gave Grogu the choice to either continue his Jedi training or return to Din Djarin. Grogu chose Mando, and now Grogu is officially a Mandalorian apprentice.

"He's not on the typical Jedi path of a youngling, but he has trained with some of the best Jedi teachers that there are," Favreau told us of Grogu's Jedi journey before the film's release. "We know for sure he's studied with Luke Skywalker. There's implications that he may have crossed paths with Yoda, because he does recognize the name, is what we imply. And he also was there at the Jedi Temple before Order 66.

"So, it's a big part in talking to Dave Filoni, and by extension, to what he learned from George [Lucas], which is that the Force is about training," he continued. "It's about refining, just like an athletic ability or any skill. And we do see that, although Grogu is not serving under somebody who is teaching him, he still clearly is meditating and going through some version of the Jedi discipline. So, I think that his Force use has definitely leveled up a bit. Luke Skywalker didn't study under Obi-Wan for very long, but still refined his skills. So, I think that that's part of the path that's available to Grogu, as per what we've already learned from the previous Star Wars films."

This might not be the only reference to Luke in the movie, either: one fan spotted what could be R2-D2 being lifted from an X-wing in the background of the movie's opening credits.

In the same director's commentary, Favreau also revealed that he sought George Lucas's permission for a specific aspect of the film, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order provided inspiration for a major action sequence, and the movie's best line was improv.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. You can check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review to read our verdict on the film, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

Despite directing some of the most beloved movies of all time, Steven Spielberg is still relatable, so much so that he wrote the initial story for his new extraterritorial movie Disclosure Day on his iPad.

"I just wrote it in the summer of 2023. I just sat down and spent two months writing it. I wrote a 50, 60 page, single-space story," said Spielberg in an interview with CBS. However, when the host pressed him on where he actually wrote the story, Spielberg answered, "On my iPad," adding, "Everybody has it right? We have a notes section. That's where I wrote it."

Well, we had no idea that the same app we use for writing shopping lists and general reminders was used to create one of this year's biggest blockbusters. Spielberg expanded on his creative process, adding, "And then I printed it out and would read it and go back to my iPad again." The director joked, adding, "Thank you, Steve Jobs."

However, we imagine that a more appropriate software was used to create the script after Spielberg came up with the idea. Spielberg wrote the initial story for the upcoming alien flick, but the screenplay was penned by his long-time collaborator David Koepp. The duo has previously worked together on Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Koepp also wrote the script for Spielberg's last alien movie before the 2008 action thriller War of the Worlds, which seems to share some similarities with the upcoming movie Disclosure Day, including an alien invasion and the discovery of other beings that have been lying dormant on Earth. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, and Colin Firth, the film follows a meteorologist and a cybersecurity expert who set out to uncover extraterrestrial secrets harboured by the government.

However, in an interview with Gamesradar+, O'Connor says the movie is more in line with Spielberg's earlier works, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. "I don't want to speak for Steven, but I think there is an element of it being the third in a sort of trio: Close Encounters, E.T., and this," said the star. "Obviously, War of the Worlds is in there as well, but Steven's talked about those three."

Disclosure Day releases in US theaters on June 12, and is in UK cinemas from June 10. For more, check out our guide to the best Alien movies, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way this year and beyond.

Masters of the Universe might have underperformed in its opening weekend, but Amazon MGM says it's still happy with its performance.

The new film has a reported budget of almost $200 million (not including marketing), but only grossed $54.4 million worldwide during its opening weekend.

"[Director] Travis Knight and the entire cast and filmmaking team have delivered something truly special, and this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy – building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window," said Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM's domestic distribution chief, in a statement (via Variety).

Essentially, Wilson is saying that the box office isn't the only measure of success for a film like Masters of the Universe, which is based on the iconic He-Man brand. Time will tell if the movie proves to have staying power, but with an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems movie fans are enjoying the new flick.

Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba. In the film, Prince Adam (Galitzine) must return to his home planet to save it from the evil Skeletor (Leto).

Our own Masters of the Universe review awarded the film 3 stars, with our verdict reading: "He-Man returns for a derivative, comedy-fuelled action-fantasy that never takes itself seriously, for better or worse. It's much too slow off the mark, but there's infectious affection for the source material and, like him or loathe him, Jared Leto steals the show as Skeletor."

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies for everything else that's on the way.

If there's one thing you probably know about upcoming sci-fi blockbuster Disclosure Day, it's that the new movie is directed by Steven Spielberg. But if there's another thing you know about Disclosure Day, it's that the new movie is about aliens, making it something of an unofficial follow-up to Spielberg classics Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

"I don't want to speak for Steven, but I think there is an element of it being the third in a sort of trio: Close Encounters, E.T., and this," Disclosure Day star Josh O'Connor tells GamesRadar+. "Obviously, War of the Worlds is in there as well, but Steven's talked about those three."

While the nature of the aliens in Disclosure Day is still a closely guarded secret, screenwriter David Koepp has at least denied the wild theory doing the rounds online that the movie is part of a deep-state plan to reveal the truth about aliens. Disclosure Day, if you didn't know, is also based on a story by Spielberg, who previously wrote Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and played a key role in the inception of E.T., which may explain the thematic and spiritual connection between the three movies.

Disclosure Day is arriving at an opportune moment, as the real-life disclosure movement picks up steam in the wake of congressional hearings about UAPs and the release of a tranche of UFO documents by Pentagon in May, with O'Connor noting it's "surreal" to be part of a film that chimes so closely with contemporary concerns.

Co-star Eve Hewson even turned to interviews with people who claim to have had close encounters with non-human lifeforms as part of her research for the film, turning her into something of a disclosure convert. "People keep ignoring it, somehow" Hewson says, incredulously. "It's really weird. [Whistleblowers] keep being like: 'This is real, these are facts,' And everyone's like, 'Say what?' [laughs]"

"It's a really strange thing," adds O'Connor. "But it's nice that there's that feeling around the film."

In the new movie, Challengers star O'Connor plays Daniel Kellner, a whistleblower on the run from an extra-governmental agency doing all it can to keep the existence of alien life under wraps. Hewson plays Kellner's ex-novitiate girlfriend, Jane, who reckons with the existence of non-human life through a religious lens. Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell and Colin Firth also star.

Disclosure Day releases in US theaters on June 12, and is in UK cinemas from June 10. For more movies still to come this year, check out our guide to the upcoming movies heading your way throughout the year.

It turns out everyone's favorite line from The Mandalorian and Grogu was actually some genius improvisation.

That's according to Jon Favreau, who revealed the behind the scenes tidbit in the new director's commentary for the film, which is available via the TheatersEars app.

In the new Star Wars movie, Din Djarin is captured and taken to Nal Hutta by Embo the bounty hunter, and Grogu and his Anzellan pals set off on an adventure to rescue him. This involves climbing up to a pipe that leads deeper into the Hutt palace. As the camera pans down the long, dark tunnel the tiny friends will have to traverse, one of the Anzellans observes: "Big pipe, huh?"

It's a line that has taken on a life of its own online already, and Favreau shared in the commentary that it was improv from Shirley Henderson, who provides the voices for the Anzellans (H/T The HoloFiles).

Favreau has also previously revealed that he reached out to JJ Abrams about the Anzellans, since Babu Frik debuted in Abrams's The Rise of Skywalker. "When I was working with the Anzellans, I called up JJ," he explained. "And JJ came to the set. Because you want him to know that, you know, 'I appreciate what you did. Can we – do you mind? Are we handling this well? Are you happy?'"

In the same director's commentary, Favreau also revealed that he sought George Lucas's permission to use the original Red Jammer model, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order provided a key piece of inspiration for a major action sequence in the film.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. You can check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review to read our verdict on the film, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

Boba Fett actor Temuera Morrison was hoping to make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it actually would've made a whole lot of sense.

"I was hoping to pop in there, too, and maybe help [Din Djarin and Grogu] out with something," Morrison told a fan who said that he hoped Boba would've made an appearance. "They might want him back one day… you never know."

It wouldn't have been out of the realm of possibility for Boba Fett to appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu given that he appeared in The Mandalorian season 2, specifically in episodes 6, 7, and 8 (though his subsequent survival after falling into the sarlacc's mouth is implied in episode 1).

You might also recall that Boba's arc ends with him sitting upon the throne that once belonged to Jabba the Hutt. Given that The Mandalorian and Grogu takes place on the Hutts' planet and involves a rescue mission for Jabba's son Rotta... it would've actually made perfect sense for Morrison's bounty hunter to make an appearance, and, as Morrison said, help Din Djarin and Grogu out with something.

The Book of Boba Fett ran for just one season on Disney Plus back in 2022, with Morrison previously saying that the show's reception "seems to have impacted the future of the character in the franchise." As a staunch defender of The Book of Boba Fett and the Star Wars Christmas Special (where Boba made his first official on-screen appearance), I have full faith that we'll see the bounty hunter again.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

Death Stranding movie director-writer Michael Sarnoski has given a status update on the A24 adaptation's script – and Hideo Kojima's glowing response to it.

"I'm writing the script right now and hopefully almost done with that and really excited to dive into it," Sarnoski told IGN.

To that end, the Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One helmer has been in discussions with both Kojima and A24, which means the usual back-and-forth tweaks.

"We're working on some revisions together, and they all seem super excited and happy with it. Kojima has been really generous in letting me play in his world but letting me tell a story with my own characters and my own sort of corner of this world, but keeping it honest to the game and doing something that fans will really like," Sarnoski revealed.

It should come as no surprise, too, that Kojima has been keen to point out movie references and allusions to Hollywood in the Death Stranding script. This is, after all, someone who looks like a beaming puppy when in the same room as Martin Scorsese and routinely reels off a 'just watching' list that should instantly give him access to the Criterion Closet.

"I was impressed that when he read this script, without me needing to talk to him about it, he knew every single [movie] reference… He just knows movies incredibly well. So that's been very cool to see.," Sarnoski continued.

Much like Hideo Kojima revealed upon its unveiling, Sarnoski said the Death Stranding movie will be an original story set in the universe, not an adaptation of the two Norman Reedus-starring games. Despite that, the director refuses to rule out any familiar faces showing up.

"You might see some characters from the game pop up," Sarnoski teased. "But it definitely feels like something that could happen alongside the game and honors what's going on in the game but very much is its own thing."

A Death Stranding anime is also in the works, penned by Raised by Wolves writer Aaron Guzikowski.

The Death Stranding movie is currently undated.

For more, check out the new PS5 games on the horizon, plus a look ahead to the rest of 2026's movie release dates.

Over the past decade, Star Wars has focused heavily on the period of time between the prequels and original trilogy, so much so that fans are wondering if it is time to move on from releasing projects set in this era.

When the Star Wars prequels were released, there was no doubt that fans had a lot of questions about what had happened in the 19 years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. But thanks to the ever-growing franchise, many projects have filled in the blanks and introduced lots of new characters. But when is enough enough?

"Considering the sheer amount of media we've gotten that takes place between III-IV, is there STILL some plot holes that need to be addressed? Or is it finally time to move on?" asked one fan on Reddit. Many others agree, as one pointed out, "Personally, I’m over the timeline between Ep1-6... give us the Luke Han Leia story post-6. Take some heavy swings at the lore. Dig deep and do some mythological heavy lifting."

Many fans are seeing the funny side of Lucasfilm and Disney's overexploration of The Dark Times. "There's still a dude in the back of the Mos Eisley's cantina in ANH we don't have a full 3-season show about," joked one fan, and another added, "You joke, but the Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina literally gave us the backstory of Han Solo's vest."

There are now 10, yes ten, projects set between the prequels and the original trilogy, and that's not counting Tales of the Jedi, which has episodes set slightly before. On the Star Wars timeline, Tales of the Empire, Tales of the Underworld, The Bad Batch, Maul – Shadow Lord, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Star Wars Rebels, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story all take place during that 19-year gap.

It doesn't look like Lucasfilm is quite finished with the period known as the Reign of the Empire, as Maul – Shadow Lord season 2 is already in production, and a third Star Wars Jedi games is expected to continue the story of Cal Kestis in this period. However, the franchise is exploring pastures new in Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter, which will take place approximately five years after The Rise of Skywalker. Starfighter hits cinemas on May 28, 2027.

For even more, check out our guide on how to watch Star Wars movies in order, and keep up with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading your way.

Disclosure Day is almost upon us, and if you're wondering what to expect from the mystery-shrouded project – director Steven Spielberg's first sci-fi blockbuster in almost a decade – stars Josh O'Connor and Eve Hewson claim you won't have a moment to catch your breath.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ at a press event in London, the Disclosure Day co-stars explained that the new movie is both classically Spielbergian, and as breathless as any movie on Spielberg's extraordinary CV. "It's like a gun going off before the hundred meter dash," O'Connor says. "It was kind of like driving straight through, and so in that sense the, like, rush element of it is so there."

Disclosure Day stars O'Connor as Daniel Kellner, a whistleblower who is being hunted by an extra-governmental agency trying to keep the existence of aliens under wraps. Hewson plays Jane, Kellner's girlfriend, who gets caught up in the pursuit. Hewson previously worked with Spielberg over a decade ago on Bridge of Spies, but O'Connor says his first experience working with arguably the greatest living commercial filmmaker lived up to expectations.

"I can't claim this one, but a friend of mine described Steven as like the 'Mozart of the moving image,'" O'Connor says, clearly in agreement. "There are things about his films that, for me, and I'm sure for many, feel nostalgic. You immediately get this sense of safety from Steven's images, because of [his movies] being so present in our childhood."

Despite operating in a world of shadowy extraterrestrial cover-ups and – as the trailer reveals – alien encounters, Hewson notes that the film is shot by Spielberg and long-serving cinematographer Janusz Kaminsky like it could all be happening on the streets outside your window.

"He wanted to make it kind of feel a little bit documentary style," Hewson notes. "He wanted to make it feel very alive and real, like it could happen today, tomorrow, the next day. So that's exciting too, the way he shot it, and the way they use the light, it just feels very present."

Alongside O'Connor and Hewson, Disclosure Day also stars Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Colmon Domingo and Wyatt Russell. Early reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with some even calling the film Spielberg's best in 20 years.

Disclosure Day releases in US theaters on June 12, and is in UK cinemas from June 10. For more movies still to come this year, check out our guide to the upcoming movies heading your way throughout the year.

The Mandalorian and Grogu might be directed by Jon Favreau, but Star Wars creator George Lucas was still involved in one specific way.

Moviegoers are currently able to listen to Favreau's director's commentary for The Mandalorian and Grogu while watching the film in theaters via the TheatersEars app, and Favreau reveals plenty of fascinating details about the flick.

In the commentary, Favreau explains that he was at Skywalker Ranch, using the parking lot to film a Razor Crest miniature, when he learned that the original Red Jammer Y-wing starfighter model was being prepped for display at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Favreau then obtained the permission of George Lucas himself to use the model in the film (via Laughing Place).

The Red Jammer was created as a reference for A New Hope, but the model itself never appeared in the film. The Mandalorian and Grogu marks its first appearance in Star Wars.

"After a lengthy negotiation, George Lucas gave us permission to borrow the model," visual effects supervisor John Knoll previously told VFX Voice (via ComicBook.com). "We shot two motion-control elements of it. It's in the movie and will go by quickly. Unless somebody points it out, you won't notice it, but there are two photographed elements of a 1976 original model from Star Wars, which has never been seen onscreen before."

The Red Jammer shows up during The Mandalorian and Grogu ending, in the Nal Hutta X-wing action sequence. It's being piloted by filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung. For more The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs and cameos, check out our guide through the link.

Lucas's American Graffiti was also an inspiration for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau shared, specifically Mando wanting to boost the Razor Crest's speed by stripping his new ship of restrictors.

Favreau has also previously revealed that he reached out to JJ Abrams about using the Anzellans again, since Babu Frik debuted in Abrams's The Rise of Skywalker.

Plus, during the commentary, Favreau explained how Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order helped inspire a key sequence in the film.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. You can check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review to read our verdict on the film, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get caught up on the galaxy far, far away.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is still in theaters, and moviegoers are currently able to enjoy an audio track of Jon Favreau's director's commentary running alongside the film via the TheatersEars app.

As you might expect, the director's commentary lifts the lid on plenty of interesting details about the latest Star Wars film – including a link to the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Per Laughing Place, Fallen Order was used as a reference for the look of an AT-AT walker's interior. The Mandalorian and Grogu's action-packed opening sequence sees Din Djarin and Grogu battling Imperial remnants across three different walkers, destroying the giant vehicles as they go.

In Fallen Order, Cal Kestis climbs inside of an AT-AT on the Wookie homeworld planet, Kashyyyk, and he even uses the walker itself in a showdown against his Imperial foes.

That's not the only way Fallen Order figures into the movie, either: on Adelphi Base, BD unit droids can be spotted wandering around (they made their live-action debut in Peli Motto's garage in The Mandalorian). For more The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs, check out our guide through the link.

Recently, it was confirmed that Cal Kestis's story is not over, and a new Star Wars book even revealed that Luke Skywalker knows Cal survived Order 66 by 34 ABY on the Star Wars timeline (AKA after the Death Star's destruction). What might be next for Cal remains to be seen, but here's hoping he returns sooner rather than later.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more on the film, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or see our guide on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order to get up to speed on the galaxy far, far away.

Your eyes weren't deceiving you: that was indeed She-Ra, Princess of Power, who appears during one Masters of the Universe post-credits scene. The beloved twin sister of Adam has headlined two animated shows over the years, but She-Ra's post-credits cameo in Masters of the Universe marks the first time the character has appeared on screen in live action.

A momentous moment, then. But as director Travis Knight tells GamesRadar+, it's a cameo that almost didn't happen, and only came together late in production. "I wanted to get her in the movie, [but] there was a very complicated rights thing," Knight says. "We did that with like no money, too. That was at the end of the shoot. We were just scrambling around trying to build a set and put a costume together because we finally got the rights to do it and, I mean, she looks great."

It was such a big secret, in fact, that the She-Ra mid-credits scene was omitted from some early screenings. "We didn't show it to anybody. Like the studio hadn't even seen the finished version of that," Knight says. "When we screened it at the premiere last week, I didn't know how people were going to react. And the crowd just erupted into cheers. I couldn't believe it. It was actually really sweet. It was really heartening because that character means something to people and they've never seen her on the big screen. So that would be an honor to be able to breathe life into her, if we're so lucky."

While a Masters of the Universe sequel is far from confirmed, and will likely depend on how the film performs at the box office this weekend, if a follow-up does happen, She-Ra would play a major part, according to Knight. "She is a character that is hugely important in the mythology of this world. If we told another story set in this universe, she would absolutely play a huge part of it. I know exactly where that would go. But even if we don't [get to make a sequel], I was glad to get her on screen."

As for who would play She-Ra in a Masters of the Universe sequel, Knight has an answer for that too. "I know exactly who I would reach out to to play She-Ra," he teases, with a smile. "I can't jinx it so I can't say it. But I know exactly who it should be."

Masters of the Universe, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba and Jared Leto, is in theaters now. Check out our Masters of the Universe review before you head to the theater, or read what Knight has to say about bringing Leto's scene-stealing Skeletor to the screen.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of the best upcoming movies heading your way in 2026.

The funny thing about living in the 'Golden Age' of remakes in conjunction with an ever-changing and neverending nostalgia boom is that we either get a) grade A slop that lacks in a compelling story in favor of fan service or simply ignores the source material altogether, or b) something so good it heals your inner child and makes you genuinely happy that a brand new generation gets to discover it for the first time. Enter: Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe, which takes everyone's favorite loincloth-wearing warrior prince (and all of the memes that have surrounded him in the years following his debut) and turns it into a campy action-comedy about the pesky need to prove yourself.

Though you could easily compare it to Transformers or Voltron, He-Man is one of those toy-turned-cartoon phenomena that stands out especially for its overall weirdness. The titular character is a rather aloof prince and his nemesis is a dude with a skull for a face who's really into maniacal laughter. Rather than lean into the overall absurdity, the 1987 live-action movie starring action man Dolph Lundgren plays it pretty straight, and wants the viewer to think they're watching a true fantasy-adventure film a la The Dark Crystal (which I don't really think is speculation, seeing as both films share the same screenwriter).

Travis Knight's 2026 take on Masters of the Universe, however, is more of a Marvel-esque blockbuster that embraces the absolute goofiness of He-Man's lore and puts him on Earth as a confused 20-something who's desperate to find his way home – and doesn't mind telling everyone he comes into contact with about it. A first date goes badly because he tells her about his childhood on Eternia, he gets fired for his incessant sword searches on company time, and he gets arrested for finally finding said sword. Let me just say: it's not what I expected.

Looking camp right in the eye

It's the way Adam is so unapologetically himself and doesn't see the need to make up a backstory (at the suggestion of his roommate) and settle for a life on Earth that just... got me completely. There's one part where his roomie says, "Can't you just live for the weekend and wait until your next vacation?" Well, no, actually. Adam knows he's meant for something more. And I think Knight wanted us to take that and apply it to ourselves. In fact, I think the entire movie is meant to give us a kick in the pants by way of feeling happy and hopeful and never settling for less than what we truly deserve.

And if you're wondering what that has to do with He-Man, well, that's kind of what the whole thing's about (to me, anyway). When he yells, "I have the power," it's not because his super cool sword is giving it to him. It's actually because the power inside his heart (if you want to get cheesy about it), and there's a beautiful scene in the film where the Sorceress reminds Adam that she chose him for a reason… and that it doesn't matter who gets their hands on the sword, because only he has the true power to wield it.

So yes, the movie is a big ol' metaphor. And it really does beat us over the head with it. However, I didn't really mind it all that much. I love the idea of a kiddo sitting down to watch the movie and walking away feeling enlightened and inspired… and while all the meme references and other 'adult' themes are meant for the adult He-Man fans watching the film, I truly think the rest is meant to instill hope in a younger generation.

Yes, the movie spends far too much time on Earth. Yes, the joke-per-minute format was a rather, uh, interesting choice. But Nicholas Galitzine and Idris Elba made me cry. And even the post-credits scene made me cry! And Skeletor is so brilliantly acted that I'm almost ready to forgive Tron: Ares for all of whatever that was. I don't know if Masters of the Universe is the movie that the world needs right now, but it's definitely the one that I need right now.

Masters of the Universe is in theaters now. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

Shawn Levy may be busy working on Star Wars: Starfighter, but he has an idea for another story in the universe. It's all inspired by Backrooms, the new world-of-mouth horror movie from YouTuber Kane Parsons, which sees a shopkeeper get lost in an endless stretch of rooms that he can't escape from.

Speaking at a screening of the film, which Deadpool and Wolverine director Levy was an executive producer on, he revealed that he'd love to explore something similar in a galaxy far, far away.

"Right now, I'm making a movie called Star Wars: Starfighter, and so I very much have Star Wars on my mind," Levy told Vanity Fair. "And I can't help but be captivated by a Backrooms, Star Wars mashup and, luckily, I've got a little bit of involvement in both, so I'll see what I can do."

It's definitely a fun idea. Part of the appeal of Backrooms, and why it has already been winning over audiences at the box office, is that it is a unique, original idea. We'd love to see this kind of thinking brought into the Star Wars universe. It wouldn't be the first time that the franchise has expanded beyond its core story, finding success with original stories like Andor, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew.

While these genre experiments have had mixed success, we'd love to see more of them. It's true too that horror is not a style that Star Wars has explored yet – and this isn't the first time that it has been suggested.

Andor creator Tony Gilroy previously shared his hopes that the franchise would lean into genre. "I always fantasised that the show would break new ground, that someone would be able to make a three-camera sitcom in Star Wars or a horror movie," he previously told SFX magazine.

"I think the first thing I said to Kathy [Kennedy, Lucasfilm president] when she said they wanted to open a line, was, 'Could you do a courtroom drama?' And why not? We've worked really hard on Andor to make our lane, and it's up to other people now to find another way to do it."

For more on the galaxy far, far away, check out our guide to upcoming Star Wars movies and shows and our breakdown of the Star Wars timeline.

Masters of the Universe may have been a huge undertaking but, somehow, it isn't the only film director Travis Knight is releasing this year. As well as a live-action filmmaker, Knight is also the CEO of Laika, where he has directed two of the stop-motion studio's animated movies, including this year's Wildwood.

So how exactly is Knight releasing two years-in-the-making projects within 5 months of each other? "I don't recommend it!" chuckles Knight when GamesRadar+ catches up with him in London. "I'm still working on Wildwood actually." Of course, stop-motion animation is a famously slow process – at best, an animator can hope to produce seconds of footage per day – so operating on different production tracks helped. As did the fact that Wildwood has been in the works for over a decade.

"I've been developing Wildwood for 16 years," Knight says. "The majority of my career, the majority of my adult life, I've been working on this project. And I'm nearly done with it. But, you know, there was definitely overlap there."

While pointing out that Masters of the Universe – an irreverent reboot of the '80s Filmation cartoon – and Wildwood – a magical fantasy about a young girl whose infant brother is kidnapped by crows – are "very different kinds of movies," Knight notes that the two "share kind of a philosophical DNA. If I analyze it, there is some influence that one has over the other. But I don't think [that can be helped] when you're working on something that you deeply care about so intensely for so long, and when those things happen to coincide."

"I'm just happy for how it all came together," Knight continues. "Because I think Masters is a special movie. Working on Masters, actually, it changed the way I was thinking about Wildwood as we're doing all the final visual effects and everything. And in fact, some people I met along the way working on Masters, I loved collaborating with them so much that I then brought them on to Wildwood after we finished on Masters. So they definitely are connected in some way."

Masters of the Universe is out now in some parts of the world, and is a reimagining of the famed '80s animated series. You can read our full Masters of the Universe review now. Wildwood, meanwhile, is Laika's next, long-in-the-making movie – an adaptation of Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis' 2011 novel. The wildly popular Wildwood teaser trailer (see above) has already racked up an astonishing 89 million views on YouTube alone. Before his banner 2026, Knight directed 2016's Kubo and the Two Strings at Laika, and helmed 2018's warmly received live-action Transformers spin-off, Bumblebee.

In conversation with GamesRadar+, Knight also explained how the new Masters of the Universe movie reckons with He-Man's "internally inconsistent" mythology, and told us all about Jared Leto's scene-stealing Skeletor.

Masters of the Universe is in UK cinemas now, and hits US theaters on June 5. Wildwood releases in theaters on October 23. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

Despite the series' perennial popularity, Masters of the Universe has never held much power on the big screen. In fact, 1987's Dolph Lundgren-starring MotU, for all its low-budget charm, was a turkey of such magnitude that it scared Hollywood off He-Man for decades to come. Well, almost 40 years later, Amazon is having a second stab at the muscle-bound blonde, and while this latest adaptation isn't as strong as you'd hope, it's an enjoyable and self-consciously silly take on outdated source material.

More Marvel than MotU '87, director Travis Knight's simple take on He-Man is simply not to take any of it seriously. The tonal and aesthetic cousin of Thor: Ragnarok, it's a film where the relentless need to crack jokes engulfs any sense of stakes. Masters of the Universe is here to show you a good time, and is at its best when doing just that, with confused attempts to ride the hopecore wave and re-align He-Man around the idea of radical empathy falling flat. He-Man just isn't that deep.

He-Man may not be deep, but Masters of the Universe is definitely bloated; it's the best part of an hour before Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) raises the Power Sword aloft and transforms into the loincloth-sporting super-man – so be warned. Instead of hitting the ground running, MotU imagines a world where Skeletor wins, plunging the fantastical planet of Eternia into tyrannical rule. During Skeletor's siege of Eternos, a young Adam flees through a portal with the Power Sword, but loses it en route to Earth.

Cut to: 15 years later. Adam is a social outcast, obsessed with the idea that he comes from another world, still desperately searching for the sword that will be his ticket home. One day, rather anticlimactically, he finds it and is retrieved by his former childhood friend, Teela (Camila Mendes). Skeletor still rules Eternia with a, er, skeletal fist, but when Adam finally transforms into the hero of legend, he brings renewed hope to Eternos' colorful insurgents – most notably the capital's once-great war chief, Man-at-Arms (Idris Elba), who has fallen on hard times in the years since.

Man of the hour

To its credit, Masters of the Universe is self-aware enough to know that you're probably not going to take characters like Fisto, Ram-Man, Meckaneck, and Trap Jaw seriously, and smartly plays into the absurdity of the world. One fun, postmodern idea: all those ridiculous character names come from Adam's own, imagined nicknames for them dreamt up during his isolated childhood on Earth, as he tried to hold onto the memory of Eternia. Galitzine's performance is the anchor point; as Adam, he's more Rick Moranis than Dolph Lundgren – a bumbling klutz in way over his head. His take on He-Man is more traditional, and Galitzine certainly looks the part. But the idea to incorporate more modern ideas of talking things out doesn't really make sense when your arch-enemy is an evil skeleton man who likes to turn people into goop with his magic staff.

Speaking of which, we're as surprised as anyone to report that after delivering one of the more blandly self-serious performances in recent blockbuster history in Tron: Ares, Jared Leto's arch Skeletor is a riot. With a plummy British accent and an impressively expressive CG-animated face atop an equally impressive practical costume, Skeletor looks and sounds amazing. As in the original Filmnation cartoons, he's a petulant, power-hungry evildoer who treats his fearful underlings, like Evil Lyn (Alison Brie, somewhat miscast), with as much contempt as his enemies. Even the cackle is great.

Similarly aware of exactly what movie he's in is Idris Elba, who lends the film some gravitas amidst the zaniness as fallen war hero Duncan/Man-at-Arms, who turns to booze to numb the pain of his greatest failing. His strangely sweet relationship with homicidal robot Roboto (Kristen Wiig) is a treat, while his enervated demeanor highlights how much his daughter, Teela, has it together. As the movie's lone straight (wo)man, Camila Mendes isn't given the opportunities to pop off screen like those around her, but she holds her own during the film's dynamically staged action.

Power ballad

For all its irreverence, Masters of the Universe delivers on blockbuster spectacle where it matters. Hand-to-hand fight scenes have the kinetic energy of a child smashing two action figures together and imagining the fireworks. A more generic, forest-based chase with some rough compositing is a noteworthy misstep, but Knight's history in animation is apparent elsewhere, the camera pirouetting impossibly around swinging blades and flying fists. It even incorporates other diverse techniques, like anime-style impact frames, to striking effect.

Also terrific is Daniel Pemberton's thunderous glam rock score. Boasting Queen's Brian May as part of the musical ensemble, whose electric guitar wails over what feels like every scene, He-Man is given a suitably larger-than-life theme for an '80s icon.

Whether the film's tone – almost gratingly eager to make you smile – works will come down to personal taste. If the Taika Waititi-directed Thors turned you off, then be warned this dials up the comedy even further (it even lifts a few key plot points from Ragnarok). And as with many first entries in budding franchises, after a rote two-hour origin story, there's a frustrating sense that the movie you really want to see is the one teased in the last 20 seconds, with a major mid-credits cameo promising the appearance of a fan-favorite character in a sequel we may never get if the movie's underwhelming tracking proves correct.

Still, there's no denying this is a valiant effort to make Masters of the Universe relevant again on the big screen some four decades after its '80s heyday, made by filmmakers with sincere affection for the source material. Whether younger viewers will respond to an outmoded character like He-Man amidst the paradigm-shifting wave of horror movies drawing crowds right now remains to be seen, but we'll soon know where the real power lies.

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out the rest of your movie-going year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

Before making his live-action debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu, we first met villain Embo in The Clone Wars series. However, Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni says the bounty hunter was actually supposed to appear way earlier, in George Lucas' scrapped series Star Wars: Underworld.

"While we were writing and creating The Clone Wars, George was also developing a live-action series called Star Wars: Underworld," said Filoni to StarWars.com. "He had a lot of visual development done where he was exploring new designs for ships, planets, droids, and aliens. When we would meet to discuss upcoming Clone Wars [episodes], George would use some of that visual inspiration for our stories."

First announced at Star Wars Celebration 2005, Star Wars: Underworld was supposed to be a live-action show that would bridge the gap between the prequel and original trilogies. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Lucas wanted the series to take on a more mature tone than the space opera. Over the next few years, the team built huge set pieces and wrote over fifty scripts. However, in 2010, the project was abandoned due to budget constraints.

Just last year, producer Rick McCallum shed a little more light on why Underworld was cancelled. McCallum told Young Indy Chronicles podcast that the show would have cost upwards of $40 million per episode, adding, "each episode was bigger than the films... It would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe, and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise."

It is not clear what part Embo would have played in Underworld, but it was the first piece of concept art that prompted both Lucas and Filoni to include him in The Clone Wars. "I gave Embo the species name 'Kyuzo,' which was a character from the Seven Samurai played by Seiji Miyaguchi," added Filoni. "I really liked that character so I gave a nod to the performance in Embo's character." That was just the beginning, as Embo went on to make more appearances in the show and even gained a trusty companion, a dog named Marrock.

After the Clone Wars, Embo retired and went to live a quiet life on the planet Felucia. In The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is set around 30 years after the end of The Clone Wars, we meet Embo in a new era, where he has a new pet and is quickly pulled back into the bounty hunter life. Embo is just one of the antagonists against Din Djarin and Grogu in the new movie, as the pair join forces with the New Republic in order to save what the Rebellion fought so hard for.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in cinemas. For more, check out our guide to The Mandalorian and Grogu ending, plus a look at the full Star Wars timeline.

A new trailer for The End of Oak Street is here, and I still think it's a secret entry in the Cloverfield franchise.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Greg Platt (Ewan McGregor) listens as his daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella) and son Brian (Christian Convery) tell him about the flash of light they saw outside the night before. He jokingly suggests it must be aliens, but it's not long before we cut over to his wife Denise (Anne Hathaway) seeing a dinosaur in the backyard. What follows is a montage of clips involving the family taking on a range of prehistoric creatures with a shotgun.

Directed by It Follows helmer David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, the movie's official synopsis reads, "After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings."

Now, there hasn't been a new Cloverfield movie since 2018's The Cloverfield Paradox, and it's been theorized that the overall poor reception to the film is what killed off the franchise. So, while you could very well say that fans are so thirsty for a new installment that they saw a Bad Robot production banner on a new post-apocalyptic-ish sci-fi movie and decided to run with it... but it kind of fits perfectly with the whole 'the world is now open to different universes and creatures' thing that we saw in 10 Cloverfield Lane. The flash of light in the beginning of the trailer is also eerily reminiscent... and the film was originally titled Flowervale Street. Case closed, if you ask me.

The End of Oak Street arrives in theaters on August 14. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the rest of this year's biggest movie release dates.

In the pantheon of great hero and arch-villain pairings, He-Man and Skeletor are up there with the best. So it's no surprise that, for the first live-action Masters of the Universe movie in almost 40 years, Skeletor makes his glorious return – and he's badder than ever.

Played unrecognizably by Jared Leto, the latest rendition of Skeletor is a cartoon-faithful take on the character with a twist: at the outset of the movie, he wins, plunging Eternia into 15 years of tyranny. Not that it makes the famously petulant Skeletor any happier.

"We loved [Skeletor] and we wanted to make sure that those things that we loved about him came through on the screen," Knight tells GamesRadar+. "He was funny, he was strange, he was scary, he was menacing, he looked cool. He was deeply insecure. He was always insulting his underlings. He had a very distinctive voice and a distinctive laugh. And so making sure that we had all of those things in the character was really important."

Much like Knight, a He-Man fan dating back to childhood, Leto had his "own history" with He-Man, before signing up to play ol' skullface. "He loved He-Man when he was a kid, just like I did," Knight says. "And Skeletor was his favorite character. So he really wanted to create a distinctive villain that honored everything that came before, while at the same time putting our spin on it. And he gave an incredible performance. I just think he's so fun to watch."

Unlike the main star behind a certain masked Mandalorian, Leto gave a full physical performance as Skeletor, donning a prosthetic suit each day on set. Though the final result was achieved using an impressive mix of filmmaking techniques, including a full-CG skull face.

"Ultimately, it comes down to collaboration of disciplines, because he's wearing this incredible muscle suit that was put together by our prosthetics master Barry Gower. He has this incredible costume made by our costumers led by Richard Sale, so he's on set completely performing for his fellow actors, and the only thing that wasn't there on the day was the skull of the face.

"Jared's face was replaced by CG animation," Knight continues. "And the animators did an extraordinary job of capturing the nuance and the personality that Jared brought to the physical and the vocal performance, and so the face is really emotive. You wouldn't think that would be the case for a skull, but there's a lot of personality and a lot of emotion in that skull!"

For Knight, there was no question that Leto needed to be present on set. Leto's vocal performance, meanwhile, needs to be heard to be believed, and lands somewhere closer to Tom Hardy's Bane than Thanos.

"It was important to me, because it's not just the voice or the facial performance. So much of what we love about an actor is what they do with their body. How they physically move, it can communicate so much, so many different types of emotions just based on someone's bearing, how they walk across the room. Jared understood that the physical performance was a big part of it. There's so much that he brings to that aspect of it that has nothing to do with what you're hearing or what you're seeing in his face."

Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, and Idris Elba, and reboots the classic Filmnation cartoon. If you're wondering how the new movie reckons with He-Man's "wildly internally inconsistent" mythology, Knight told us all about that, too.

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out your year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

While there have been many animated shows, comics, and even a previous live-action movie over the last four decades, Masters of the Universe has never been a franchise where mythology is considered sacred. So when it came to adapting Masters of the Universe once again, director Travis Knight didn't feel beholden to previous takes on the character.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ at a press event in London, Knight – who fell in love with He-Man aged eight through the original Filmation cartoon and action figures – addressed the new movie's relationship to continuity in He-Man canon. "It's certainly something I thought about," he says. "But anytime you've got a property like this, a world and a series of characters that have been around for over four decades, the continuity is going to be all over the place. And it is in this property. It's wildly internally inconsistent. So, in the end, you have to decide what you embrace and what you leave behind."

For Knight, that meant embracing the original source. "It was always going back to the toys, the little mini-comics, and the Filmation cartoon from the '80s. That was really what we used as our foundation. We make choices based on where we want these characters to go, but that really was the baseline. We drew from other sources, some aspects of the '87 live-action movie. There were some obscure newspaper comic strips that we pulled from. But the foundational element was the original '82, '83 era."

That much is plain to see in the movie, which faithfully renders He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, Cringer, Man-at-Arms, and the more obscure/bizarre likes of Fisto, Ram-Man and Mekaneck as if they've just leapt out of the cartoons. In the new movie, Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) is stranded on Earth after Skeletor's forces destroy Eternos. Fifteen years later, Adam returns to embrace the mantle of He-Man, and liberate Eternia from Skeletor's tyrannical rule, but he's not exactly the hero of legend that everyone expects.

Despite heading up stop-motion studio Laika, and working in animation for much of his career, Knight didn't keep up with He-Man's mostly animated output over the years. "[He-Man] was a huge part of my childhood, but there were so many different iterations since then, and that was not something that I vibed on [at the time]," Knight admits. "But getting acquainted with some of that stuff now with fresh eyes as an adult, it was interesting to see what remained and what changed. For me it was always about: hold on to what made it pure and interesting to begin with, which was where it started."

Masters of the Universe might not be picking up directly from any previous adaptations, but Knight previously revealed how the new movie is acknowledging the original animated series by imagining "What would happen if [Skeletor] actually won?" In the same interview, Knight also claimed that fan-favorite character She-Ra will "play a huge part" in any sequel. Thankfully, those sequel prospects are looking promising – early verdicts have billed Masters of the Universe " as one of the biggest surprises of 2026."

Masters of the Universe releases in theaters on June 5. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies, or plan out your year with our 2026 movie release dates guide.

The Way isn't just a nifty catchphrase. For Din Djarin and his fellow Mandalorians, it's a way of life that adds 'never showing your face to an enemy' to its list of many rules and regulations.

Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian has already broken that creed on multiple – albeit necessary – occasions, but The Mandalorian and Grogu movie has unmasked the Star Wars character for longer than at any point in Din's prior history across three seasons on Disney Plus.

As per numbers crunched by Star Wars Holocron, Din Djarin is unmasked for 270 seconds in The Mandalorian and Grogu. By comparison, The Mandalorian seasons 1-3 offer a shade fewer moments of unmasked action, clocking in at 259 seconds.

Towards the movie's third act, The Mandalorian and Grogu sees Din Djarin pulled in front of the Hutt Twins and his helmet removed – a moment that Pedro Pascal said made "perfect sense."

"When we got to that part, all I can say is that it made perfect sense, and it was what I was hoping would be the reason," Pascal told Empire. "If I were to pitch something, I would say, ‘The only thing that makes sense is...’ And that’s exactly it. He filled that blank. I said immediately, ‘Jon, that’s exactly what I was hoping to hear!’"

Previously, Mando has taken off his helmet to say goodbye to Grogu, as well as showing his face to IG-11 after being seriously wounded at the tail-end of the first season. This is the first time he has been forcefully unmasked, however, which is probably why we saw Pedro Pascal's face for so long.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in cinemas. For more, check out our guide to The Mandalorian and Grogu ending, plus a look at the full Star Wars timeline.

The Mandalorian and Grogu director Jon Favreau has revealed he got in touch with J.J. Abrams about using the Anzellans again.

The very first Anzellan brought to screen was Babu Frik, everyone's favorite little guy from The Rise of Skywalker – which was directed by Abrams (he also helmed The Force Awakens).

Speaking to SFX magazine about bringing Dave Filoni's creation Embo into live-action in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Favreau explained: "We were developing the live-action version of him and showing Dave versions – we've got to show Dave. Because there's a special thing, when you use a [character] – even though it belongs to Star Wars, if somebody came up with the character, you go [to them].

"Like when I was working with the Anzellans, I called up JJ," he continued. "And JJ came to the set. Because you want him to know that, you know, 'I appreciate what you did. Can we – do you mind? Are we handling this well? Are you happy?' And with Embo, same thing with Dave."

Now, the Anzellans first returned in The Mandalorian season 3, so it's not totally clear if Favreau reached out about the Anzellans for the show or the new movie. But, J.J. Abrams is thanked in the credits of The Mandalorian and Grogu, so it seems this story explains why.

The Anzellans end up having quite the pivotal role in the first Star Wars movie in seven years, too, so we're sure Abrams is very happy with how the little guys are doing.

Next up for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which has an early 2027 release window.

Until then, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review or our guide on how to watch all the Star Wars movies in order.

Steven Spielberg's next film, Disclosure Day, is getting rave early reactions.

The film stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, and it revolves around the revelation that we are not alone in the universe. Our alien neighbours look to be far creepier than the likes of E.T., however: the extraterrestrials have been revealed as having long, spindly fingers.

"I loved #DisclosureDay," says Gizmodo's Germain Lussier. "A dense roller coaster ride blending chase film, love story, & mystery, all wrapped in sci-fi wonder. It's Spielberg's best film in 20 years, filled w/ all the magic that makes his films so special, plus an all-time character/performance by Emily Blunt."

"#DisclosureDay is the weirdest movie Spielberg's ever made (complimentary)," says journalist Bill Bria. "Breathtaking compositions, David Koepp's X-FILES-meets-The Bible script is one big high-wire act, Emily Blunt's most accomplished performance, John Williams' best score in years. Riveting, moving stuff."

"In a shock to absolutely no one, Steven Spielberg has delivered another towering home run with #DisclosureDay," says Collider's Steven Weintraub. "I could go on and on about what I loved, but I was lucky enough to see the movie knowing almost nothing, and I strongly recommend you do the same. Stop watching the trailers. The one thing I will say: Emily Blunt is incredible. I know big summer movies aren't usually the kinds of performances that get awards-season attention, but once people see what she does in this…"

"Disclosure Day is ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! Truly something special," says Rotten Tomatoes's Tessa Smith. "I was hanging onto every word, captivated by the story as it all played out. The score perfectly elevates every single scene. Part mystery, part Twilight Zone, something new entirely. I shed a tear at the end. WOW."

"DISCLOSURE DAY is top-tier Spielberg, as exhilarating as RAIDERS but with the emotional texture & increased ambition of his post-9/11 work," says IndieWire's Jim Hemphill. "Right from the opening, Spielberg lays down the gauntlet and reminds you that he does this stuff better than anybody in the history of film."

"I can't remember the last time I loved a Spielberg movie as much as #DisclosureDay – thrilling, funny, deeply emotional and impeccably acted (Emily Blunt, in particular, is astounding)," says TheWrap's Drew Taylor. "Full of mystery and wonder, it proves that nobody does it quite like Spielberg. Just great."

"#DisclosureDay is like E.T. and LOST in one," says media personality Brandon Davis. "Steven Spielberg is all in on engaging mystery and some astounding bits of camera work. Emily Blunt is exhaustingly good, Colman Domingo stands out. It's a mysterious, tense thrill that largely gives what it promises. Good movie."

"#DisclosureDay is profound and deeply human with a stellar Williams score," says journalist Simon Thompson. "Emotional and intelligent, it's the perfect companion piece to E.T. and Close Encounters. Superb performances across the board but Emily Blunt is wondrous. @disclosureday is truly soul-enriching Spielberg."

Disclosure Day arrives this June 12. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies of the year.

It's been almost a decade since Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi hit screens, but one eagle-eyed fan has spotted a big difference between the final cut of the movie and the trailer.

The trailer for The Last Jedi, which landed on Star Wars' YouTube page in October 2017, includes a shot of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 approaching the Jedi Temple only to find it destroyed and on fire. However, one Reddit user has found that the shot in the trailer does not include the many bodies strewn all over the ground in front of the temple, which is shown in the movie. "In the final version for The Last Jedi, you can see [dead] bodies in this shot, unlike in the trailer version," pointed out the fan.

In the final version for The Last Jedi, you can see killed bodies in this shot, unlike in the trailer version from r/StarWars

The scene is actually a flashback from Luke's memory, as he recalls finding the bodies of the students he placed in his Jedi temple between Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi. He believed that Kylo Ren killed the students. Kylo's motivations stemmed from his paranoia and dark thoughts due to his shift to the dark side. He thought that his uncle wanted to kill him after finding Luke standing over his bed one night with his lightsaber drawn.

The post has opened up a big discussion. One fan pointed out, "At the time the film came out, I think the implication was that the Knights of Ren are what some of the surviving Jedi students became, because Luke says, 'When I came to... the temple was burning. He had vanished with a handful of my students. And slaughtered the rest.'" Another added, "It would also better explain why Luke gave up. He trained all these people only for the dark side to rise in some."

It is thought that Skywalker had brought Padawans to the temple to train, including his nephew, Ben Solo. Luke's sister, Leia, had previously expressed her wish for her Force-sensitive son to be trained under Luke, after she discovered a dark presence attempting to influence him. But after Skywalker entered Ben's room one night and briefly considered slaying him, Ben lashed out, creating a lightning storm that destroyed the temple and killed almost all of the students. However, in the movie, we don't actually see Kylo causing the destruction or harming the students.

Since The Last Jedi in 2017, the Galaxy Far, Far Away's cinematic universe has grown with movies Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Rise of Skywalker. This year, the first Star Wars movie in seven years hit the big screen. The Mandalorian and Grogu follows Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu, who join forces with the fledgling New Republic after the fall of the evil Empire.

For more, check out our guide to the Star Wars timeline, and keep up to date with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading your way.

One Star Wars fan has given us all a full tour of the Din Djarin and Grogu homestead, and now I'm wondering if Mando is accepting applications for roommates.

The homestead was introduced at the end of The Mandalorian season 3, when Din Djarin and his newly adopted son, Din Grogu, settled down on Nevarro. In the show, though, we only got to see the house from outside.

The duo return to it in The Mandalorian and Grogu, and this time, while we get to see inside, it's only a glimpse before Grogu is forced to flee (with his Anzellan pals) and Mando literally blows up the roof to get to bounty hunter Embo.

But, thanks to the Fortnite collaboration, we can see the entire household. In the video, which you can watch below, we can see the grounds outside, including two blurrgs outside in a callback to season 1. The N-1 starfighter is also parked nearby, and there's a target range behind that. Round the front, you can even see Mando himself sitting next to the front door and enjoying some downtime, in a reference to the season 3 finale.

Inside, the house is simple, but very cozy. There's a bed against the wall and what looks like a smaller bed for Grogu on the floor beside it. On the other side of the house, there's a fireplace – with Mando's blaster mounted in pride of place above it – and a small kitchen and dining area. The whole interior is pretty spartan, but there are some rugs for decor. Check it out below.

Honestly, the whole place looks adorable, and I hope someday – in a potential The Mandalorian season 4 or somewhere else – we get to see Mando and Grogu spending a peaceful stretch of time in their homestead together.

"We wanted to build something that, yes, was a gaming experience, and you drop in with, I think, up to [12 players], and it's a fun adventure, but the backdrop is a very immersive one," Jon Favreau told us of the Fortnite collaboration. "And you could choose to go on the adventures within it, but you could also choose to explore. And we even developed other areas that we had either explored [or] thought about, so that you can actually explore and go throughout that planet."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian actor has reacted to the positive reaction of The Mandalorian and Grogu. We're not talking about Pedro Pascal though, but instead the man inside the suit, Brendan Wayne.

Wayne took to Instagram to thank fans, writing, "The audiences have been heard from and we are overwhelmed by the positive response. We loved what we were making and hopefully now we can make more!!!"

The movie currently stands at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it seems like fans are loving it a lot more than critics, as the movie holds an 88% audience score. In our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, we called the movie "a lot of fun with Baby Yoda's sheer adorableness doing a lot of heavy lifting."

Wayne booked the role of Din Djarin for the first season of Disney Plus series The Mandalorian back in 2019, and has helped bring the bounty hunter to life for three seasons, and now in the new movie. But wait, you might be thinking, 'I thought Pedro Pascal played the Mandalorian?', which is true, but it actually takes a number of actors to play Mando. Pascal provides the voice of Mando, and is who we see under the suit whenever he takes his mask off, which has only been four times so far.

However, most of the time, when the hero is in full metal armour, it's Wayne under there. When it comes to the stunts, mixed martial artist Lateef Crowder takes the wheel. Thanks to Mando following the strict creed that all Mandalorians live by, which involves never revealing their faces out of fear of banishment, you never really know who is under there.

Pascal, Wayne, and Crowder all return to play the bounty hunter in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Set after the fall of the evil Empire, which has displaced Imperial warlords throughout the galaxy, the movie follows Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu as they join forces with the fledgling New Republic. Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie also stars Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward, Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt, Steve Blum as Zeb Orrelios, and Jonny Coyne as Lord Janu.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently in theaters. For more, check out our guide to the Star Wars timeline, and keep up to date with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows heading your way.

Cal Kestis still has more to come, according to Lucasfilm.

Cameron Monaghan's Jedi is the protagonist of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (and the novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars), but he hasn't been seen in canon elsewhere just yet (he had a non-canon appearance in Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy).

"Never say never. We've got his lightsaber in the park. We've got more Cal stories coming," a Lucasfilm representative (also identified as a Disney representative in the report) told GameRant.

What that might mean is a mystery, but it might be hinting at another game, another novel, or even a live-action debut for Cal. It all remains to be seen.

Recently, Star Wars confirmed in a new book that Luke Skywalker knows Cal Kestis survived Order 66.

In the book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi: The Chronicles of Luke Skywalker by Marc Sumerak, Luke writes: "Order 66 might have seemed like a quick and efficient method of eliminating the Jedi, but not every member of the Order succumbed to this act of betrayal. A small handful of Jedi managed to escape execution, such as Master Jaro Tapal's Padawan Cal Kestis, but their numbers continued to fall during the years that followed."

So, whatever might happen next for Cal Kestis, Luke Skywalker at least knows about him by 34 ABY on the Star Wars timeline (AKA 34 years after the Death Star blew up). Cal has already made quite a name for himself in his appearances so far, which could explain how Luke comes to learn of him, or the two Jedi could even cross paths in a future Star Wars project. We'll just have to wait and see.

Up next for Star Wars is Ahsoka season 2, which has an early 2027 release window. Next year also brings with it Star Wars: Starfighter, while The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently in theaters.

You can keep up to date with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

When Grogu first debuted way back in the first season of The Mandalorian, he was a tiny, green, and very defenceless youngling.

Over the years, the Child has done some serious growing: his bond with Din Djarin has flourished from bounty hunter and target to father and son, and his mischievous, wilful, and snack-obsessed personality has made itself known. Along the way, he's moved from a baby stuck in his pram, to a Jedi Padawan – for a little while, anyway – and now to a Mandalorian apprentice with his own Beskar armor and a wrist-mounted (paintball) blaster. Grogu might still be tiny (and green), but he's no longer defenceless.

It's in his latest adventure, The Mandalorian and Grogu, that Grogu really comes into his own, too – and proves that he's so much more than just a cute sidekick.

The young protect the old

In the first half of the new Star Wars film, Grogu spends his time hanging out on Din Djarin's shoulder, occasionally jumping into action to destroy a mouse droid with the Force, or to shimmy up a building and unlock it from the inside. He also has plenty of lovely little moments that are guaranteed to make you aww aloud, like sneezing after the snowy AT-AT action scene, jumping on the bed of the new Razor Crest and giggling, or waddling through the Adelphi Base on his teeny legs.

It might seem, then, that Grogu's only purpose in his first big-screen outing is to help out Papa Mando and look adorable while he does it. But, halfway through the film, everything changes. Din Djarin is taken captive by the ruthless bounty hunter Embo after crossing the Hutt Twins, and Grogu and his Anzellan pals watch in dismay as Mando is taken away to Nal Hutta.

Back in The Mandalorian season 3, Grogu faced a similar dilemma when Din Djarin was attacked by a gruesome cyborg on Mandalore. Baby Yoda jumped into Mando's N-1 Starfighter and asked its astromech to pilot him to Bo-Katan Kryze, and, in this way, he was able to rescue his father. This time, however, Grogu and the Anzellans take on the challenge of saving Din Djarin all alone.

Grogu suits up in his Beskar armor and heads to Nal Hutta with the Anzellans, and, together, they manage to sneak into the Hutt palace, where Mando is battling a dragon snake for his life. Grogu fixes a bomb – yes, really – onto the bars of the dragon snake's lair, which frees Mando (and spares him a grisly fate as a snack). When it becomes obvious Din Djarin can't fit into the Anzellan's ship to escape, Grogu stays behind to save him, even though Mando told him to go.

Grogu Force heals Mando's wound, but the dragon snake's poison isn't so easily vanquished. Here, the film shifts to a beautiful, meditative sequence showcasing some stunning puppetry work, in which Grogu, completely alone on a planet where danger lurks in every corner, nurses Din Djarin back to health. Grogu – who, don't forget, is just a baby – builds a mud hut for Mando and uses the Force to slide him into it (with a few head bumps), collects water for them both, and manages to steal some fish from a nearby stranger.

This stranger turns out to be friendly, and he makes Grogu a poultice to cure Mando, which the Child dutifully feeds him. It works, and Mando wakes up – and, naturally, gets right back to holstering his weapons.

In a touching moment, Din Djarin also affirms that Grogu, by saving his life, is following the Mandalorian Creed: "The old protect the young, and then the young protect the old. This is the Way." It's hard to think of any higher praise for a Mandalorian apprentice.

Your turn, Grogu

Of course, that's not to say that Grogu has ever just been "shoulder candy," as one of the movie's bad guys calls him. Grogu has always been at the heart of The Mandalorian: the entire show revolves around the hugely meaningful father and son bond that grows between the Child and Mando himself, and all the ways it changes them both. Just compare how brutal and merciless Din Djarin was back when he was introduced to the paternal ease with which he confiscates Grogu's macarons until after dinner in the movie.

But Baby Yoda's adventure in The Mandalorian and Grogu is the biggest responsibility he's ever had on his tiny shoulders, and it proves how much potential he has as he continues to learn the Way of the Mandalore and grow older. At the end of the film, he's able to use his Force powers to rescue Rotta the Hutt from falling into the dragon snake's pit – back in season 1, lifting the mudhorn to save Mando knocked him out for the entire episode.

The film even ends on a note that sets up the future. As the duo flies away from Adelphi Base, Mando calls Grogu up to the controls and lets him push the button that sends them to lightspeed. "Your turn," he tells his adopted son, in a very clear passing of the torch.

Grogu probably isn't ready to become a fully fledged Mandalorian just yet – he's still pretty small, after all. But it's obvious that, whatever comes next, Grogu has plenty more ahead of him, both as his Force powers get stronger and as he learns more as a Mandalorian apprentice. They really do grow up so fast…

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is out in theaters now as it takes Star Wars back to the big screen for the first time in seven years. The film follows Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu on an adventure around the galaxy, but there's one moment that fans think could be setting up the little green guy's future.

This revolves around the scene when Mando is brought back in front of the Hutt twins after his betrayal. They show him that they've caught Rotta the Hutt and they're keeping him in a state where they can torture him constantly. They tell Din Djarin that he'll be in pain for centuries as the Hutts can live for many, many years.

This has sparked a theory from a Twitter user called RebelScum_MF, who wrote: "I'm calling it, Rotta will be the one to take care of Grogu after Din is gone. They put the line that the Hutts can live centuries for a reason!"

Grogu is a member of Yoda's species, which means he can live for centuries. Indeed, by the time he died in Return of the Jedi, Yoda was 900 years old. Unfortunately, Mando won't be able to live that long, as his species has the same life span as humans. This means – and we shudder at the thought – he will die long before his ward Grogu.

Grogu is still just a youngling in the show and the movie, and it's not clear when he will reach maturity. If it takes many more years, then it does seem like Rotta could step in. The pair certainly had a good bond in the new film, especially when it comes to snack sharing.

Other Star Wars fans have been reacting to the theory – and it seems the responses are pretty mixed. "Does he not become a grown ass man at some point? Bros already pushing 60, it’s about time to grow up," wrote one, while another added: "Was thinking that! Love it!!! wonder if they were part of the Resistance against the First Order."

Meanwhile, a third pointed out: "It’s foreshadowed in the movie about a growth spurt, which is likely what will happen with Grogu by the next installment. Rotta was the example…" Jon Favreau has opened up about the character's future in the Star Wars universe, saying he has "a lot of plans" for him. So we'll just have to wait and see…

In the meantime, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, as well as how to watch Star Wars in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is now in theaters as it reunites Din Djarin with his young apprentice Grogu. The pair are now both working as bounty hunters for the New Republic in the new Star Wars movie, which focuses on their mission to find Rotta the Hutt.

The movie stays in the present with the duo and doesn't feature any huge reveals or flash forwards to the future of these two characters. However, in a new special debunking fan theories, it seems like something around showing Grogu's future in the franchise may have been considered.

Entertainment Weekly showed director Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni a theory from a user called 4forlore that suggested a post-credits scene could show Grogu as a grown-up member of Yoda's species.

While this doesn't happen in the final film, Favreau teased: "There are things that 4thelore has brought up that we have actually…" At this point, Filoni cut in to add: "He's not that far."

The pair don't reveal anything more about what they discussed, but when Pedro Pascal adds that, "If Grogu ever gets that old I'll be long dead," Favreau clarified that the user was "saying a flash forward, that you would get a glimpse of the future." Could this be what the Star Wars filmmakers might have considered?

We do know that Favreau has thought a lot about Grogu's future on screen. In an interview with GamesRadar+, he revealed: "Creatively, I have a lot of plans, and I have a lot of thoughts about these characters, especially for Grogu. Grogu is a character that is – his species lives for centuries. He's on a path to be both a Jedi and a Mandalorian. He's making certain choices and decisions, and he has a great teacher now. And so, as he develops and grows, there's opportunities for stories that would emanate from that."

It's not yet clear where these characters will end up next. The Mandalorian season 4 hasn't been announced, nor has a return for Din Djarin and Grogu in another project. So it seems like we'll have to just wait and see whether we'll ever see a grown-up Grogu in the Star Wars franchise. Here's hoping…

While we wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows as well as our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

It's been three years since The Mandalorian season 3 ended on Disney Plus, but one fan has found a way to continue the story by splitting up new Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu into chapters as if it were The Mandalorian season 4.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu, so turn back now if you haven't seen the film. But first, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

Over on Reddit, the fan split the new movie up into eight chapters, following on from where season 3 left off with Chapter 24. Chapter 25, which the fan aptly titled 'The Warlord', focuses on the first part of the movie where we catch up with Din Djarin and Grogu on a new adventure, Chapter 26 titled 'The Contract, sees the duo meet Sigourney Weaver's character Colonel Ward and get given their mission to find Rotta the Hut, Chapter 27 titled 'The Heir' introduces us to Rotta, and Chapter 28, titled 'Abduction' sees the Grogu and Mando kidnap Commander Coin.

As we get into the movie's main action, the Star Wars fans' next chapter, titled 'The Hunter,' is when Embo comes into the picture and kidnaps Mando, and Chapter 30, 'The Trial', sees Pedro Pascal's Mandalorian stand before the Hutts, before Chapter 31, 'The Guardian', sees Grogu nursing Din Djarin back to health. Then, to finish the season off, the fan's final chapter titled 'Retribution' finds Mando and Grogu back together again as they kill the Hutts.

Below, other Star Wars fans theorised over whether the movie could span across a whole season, with one reply, "I'd split the movie into 2 chapters: 1: The Old Protect the Young 2: The Young Protect the Old This is the way," and another joked, "And the titles would have leaked before the season came out and everyone would speculate that 'The Guardian' was referencing a Jedi guardian and get hyped that Luke or Ahsoka were going to show up."

However, others were quick to point out that The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't actually a replacement for The Mandalorian season 4, and they're quite right.

Before the movie was announced, director Jon Favreau was working on the fourth season, but the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike and the WGA writers' strike brought production to a halt. Then the plan changed to bring the duo to the big screen.

Favreau looked at The Mandalorian season 4 scripts and decided he could not make a feature film out of them, so he rewrote the whole thing. Moreover, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a standalone Star Wars adventure, which is why the movie steers away from the show. At this point, it is not yet clear when or if the show will return for a fourth season.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or our roundup on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Hideo Kojima has shared his latest review, and it's pretty glowing. The video game maestro has watched new Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu and it seems like he's a big fan.

"I watched Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in IMAX," the Death Stranding creator wrote on X. "Back in 2019, I had only seen the opening of The Mandalorian while examining the LED-shot "virtual production" technology, but this time I had no problem diving in."

He went on to add: "Action, car chases, close-quarters combat, sword fights, gun battles, death matches, aerial combat, giant monsters, giant mechs. A complete "everything versus everything" showcase. CGI, puppets, special makeup, animatronics, stop motion."

Kojima even went on to add he loved how "the behind-the-scenes craftsmanship feels like it has everything packed in". He concluded: "Nearly every element from across the entire history of the Star Wars saga is in as well. An entertainment spectacle made with craftsmanlike skill by Jon Favreau."

It's a pretty lengthy review from Kojima who either goes all in with his reviews or leaves them brief, like his verdict on Return to Silent Hill...

The Mandalorian and Grogu opened to a solid box office over the Memorial Day weekend taking in $100 million domestically. This is roughly equal to the last cinematic spin off Solo back in 2018, but it's not clear yet whether The Mandalorian and Grogu will continue to grow over the coming weekends.

For more on the film, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review as well as our breakdown of all The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs and what happened in our The Mandalorian and Grogu ending explained.

In The Mandalorian and Grogu, the titular main duo continue their struggle against the galaxy's lingering Imperial Remnants when they're set on the trail of the movie's main villain: an ex-Imperial by the name of Commander Coin, played by actor Jonny Coyne.

In the run-up to release, the bad guy's name was surrounded by mystery: director Jon Favreau even teased to Empire magazine "you'll like his character name when you hear it." While Coyne's character appeared briefly in The Mandalorian season 3's Shadow Council scene, which featured a collection of Imperials scheming against the New Republic, his character was unnamed.

Ahead of the film's arrival in theaters, Coyne's character was identified only as Lord Janu. But, now that the film is finally here, we know Lord Janu and Commander Coin are one and the same – and that Coyne's Star Wars name is very similar to his real name.

"I don't know how my name got involved in the mix," Coyne tells GamesRadar+. "But at some point when I first got introduced to Jon when I was doing the series – well, the one episode that I did of the series – he said, 'Listen, I hope you don't mind, but we kind of like your name, we're just going to maybe call you Commander Coin.'"

There's even more serendipity to this considering that some of Coyne's friends gave him the nickname Commander Coyne when he first arrived in LA, "and, next thing you know, I'm playing that character." Though as for Janu, he says, "I don't know where that came from."

Commander Coin has a double life as a crime lord on the moon of Shakari, where he operates a fighting ring with Rotta the Hutt as his star warrior. "He's running a club where he makes money prize fighting people, a gladiatorial show for people to make money from," Coyne explains. "He's a bad guy, he is from the Empire, but they're all trying to make a living on the side."

While previous Star Wars villains have been lightsaber-wielding Sith Lords, Commander Coin is a different type of bad guy. "I was kind of hoping that I might get a chance to do a much more scary thing, but Jon was very determined to make him a very, very real non-Star Wars kind of character without the [mimes Darth Vader breathing], none of that stuff going on," says Coyne. "He wanted to make him a very real person, and I enjoyed that."

As you might expect from Star Wars, though, the role was shrouded in secrecy, much like the character's name, even for the actor playing him. "I was given the script: one day to read it," says Coyne. "I had to come into Manhattan Studios and take a MacBook, and read it off an iPad, and read it, and then hand the thing back, signed in, signed out. You weren't allowed to take it away with you. So I had the script for two hours, and tried to immerse myself as much as I could into that.

"The rest of the time, I just got the lines piecemeal, literally just like the line across a screen, and I would try and read it and learn it until the day when I had the sides in my trailer, that's when I had the actual paperwork in front of me," he continues. "So, it was really hard to develop a whole storyline, but it was clear what he was, he was a bad guy, and he was still immersed in that world, and they were still working as the Shadow Council to defeat the Rebellion. And what they're up to is not clear, but it's clearly bad, and along the way, these Shadow Council are scattered around the galaxy, and they're doing mischief and trying to make money and trying to make a living out of it."

But, Coyne did get some context courtesy of Favreau when the director pitched him the role after he'd already signed up to the movie. "[He told me] what he plans to do with my character, and he showed me graphics of my sets that I'd be using," Coyne says. "I had very much practical sets, real sets, as opposed to the Volume and green screen, a lot of things like that. So, I got to play on the real stage, as it were, and that, well, for my little mind, it was much more helpful. I need to touch things."

Indeed, Star Wars has a reputation for beautiful hand-crafted sets and critters, which Coyne got to experience first hand. "My club, the arena, my office were all very real places, and yeah, I think I benefited from that, really," he says. "It helped me tremendously."

That classic commitment to practical filmmaking even extended to a large scale action scene involving stormtroopers and a speeder chase, in which Mando, Grogu, and Zeb Orrelios attempt to escape Coin's compound. "What is brilliant about the guys who do these movies, is that they do introduce modern technology, modern techniques into making these movies, but they never forget the old ways, the old techniques," says Coyne. "So, when I'm in the speeder, you just got a couple of guys with big long poles, just shaking it around. You're just being shook by poles. It's old school attached to the new school. How they put it together is brilliant."

Not everything could really be on set, however: Rotta the Hutt is, as you might expect, a CGI creation (his papa Jabba might have been a real puppet, but Jabba never moved like Rotta…). "It is a wonder when you watch it, how it's all going to come together," reflects Coyne. "So, you're working with guys who are standing in for the various creatures that are fighting in that arena, including Rotta, and you think, 'Is that going to be convincing? It's just a guy in a sort of tail, with a tail stuck to him.' But it comes together beautifully, I think. Whatever they do in that magic world of CGI is extraordinary."

As for whether we could ever see Commander Coin again, Coyne isn't getting ahead of himself. "I got to do a Star Wars movie," he says. "I'd be greedy to say, 'Can I have another one, please?' It's great. As far as I'm concerned, I'm made up. I've done as much as most actors would dream of doing, so I'm very happy with my situation. Will there be more? Yeah, bring it on if they can. But, I'm happy where I am."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu features splashy AT-AT action, a gaggle of adorable Anzellans, and sci-fi legend Sigourney Weaver – along with all the loveable father/son antics we've come to expect from our titular duo.

So, I was pretty surprised when, as the credits rolled on the first Star Wars film in seven years, I realized my favorite part of the movie was none other than Rotta the Hutt.

Rotta is introduced as a gladiatorial fighter in crime lord and ex-Imperial Janu Coin's fighting ring, but those who have seen the 2008 Clone Wars movie know him better as Stinky. Baby Stinky was kidnapped by Count Dooku years ago on the Star Wars timeline, and Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano were dispatched on a mission to rescue him. The film plays out like a kind of proto-Mandalorian, with Anakin and Ahsoka escorting the baby through galactic dangers and back to the (relative) safety of his papa Jabba the Hutt. 18 years later, that baby is all grown up.

Comeback kid

I honestly had no idea what to expect of Rotta going into The Mandalorian and Grogu. Not only is he now a seriously ripped adult, he's also voiced by Jeremy Allen White, and director Jon Favreau had somewhat cryptically teased that the movie would explore the psychological weight of being Jabba the Hutt's son.

But, from the moment Rotta is introduced in the film, it's obvious he's going to be a ton of fun. Ludwig Göransson's score is consistently excellent, but the composer goes beast mode for Rotta's grand introduction with a thumping, pulsing, heavy electronic sound that perfectly establishes Rotta as a formidable fighting force. Rotta rolls his big, slug-like body around the arena with terrifying speed, then completely overpowers his opponent with a bone-crunching smack of his considerable weight. What an intro.

Rotta's fun physicality (he complains he can't fit in the Razor Crest's cockpit when Mando asks for help, leaving Grogu to navigate the complicated controls to expectedly chaotic conclusions, and gets strung up like a ham to prevent escape) isn't the only standout for the Hutt, though. He also has an unexpectedly deep storyline, which does, as Favreau promised, deal with the reality of being the son of one of the galaxy's most notorious and ruthless crime lords.

Jabba's shadow

When Mando tracks Rotta down to the cell he sleeps in between fights, Rotta – mid-massage – tells Din Djarin that fighting is his way of escaping the toxic legacy of Jabba the Hutt. Grogu, lured by the promise of snacks, slips between the bars, and Rotta reassures a panicked Mando, "Don't worry, I'm not my father."

Later, Rotta explains that, when the crowd heard he was Jabba's son, they booed him, but gradually those boos became cheers as the crowd accepted Rotta was no Jabba. That's what makes it especially sad when Mando, after being forced into the fighting pit opposite Rotta, gets the upper hand against the Hutt, and the crowd cheers uproariously. Rotta's face falling when Lord Janu, who owns Rotta's contract, announces he'll be dying, and the realization that nobody on Shakari really cares about him sinks in, is especially upsetting.

Eventually, Mando takes Rotta into custody, though Rotta argues that the Hutt Twins want him dead, as he's Jabba's heir. Even free of the fighting pits, Rotta still can't escape this terrible legacy. Of course, Din Djarin has always hidden a heart of gold beneath the Beskar, so he ultimately changes his mind and lets Rotta go.

Here, Rotta ties into the still-flourishing father/son bond between Mando and Grogu beautifully. Din Djarin watches on as Rotta and Grogu play in the ocean at sunset together, in a lovely little moment that harkens back to the quiet character beats The Mandalorian show is so adept at (like Mando and Grogu sipping their soup in unison in season 2). This is a glimpse at the quiet, happy life both Rotta and Grogu could have without the galaxy's villains, a sentiment which is surely not lost on Mando, who strove to protect Grogu from bad guys like Moff Gideon for three seasons of the Disney Plus show.

This is emphasized when Rotta reassures Mando that Grogu is "lucky" to have him, because, when Rotta was the same age, he had to fend for himself: as anyone who has seen The Mandalorian knows, Din Djarin would never willingly leave Grogu alone. At the end of the film, Rotta similarly shares some wisdom with Grogu, telling him: "Your dad's one of the good ones." No one could argue with that. The moment also caps off a sweet friendship that blossoms between Grogu and Rotta, beginning with Rotta offering up his snacks and culminating with the duo saving each other from the Hutt Twins in the movie's climactic action sequence.

So, while I had no idea what to expect from Rotta the Hutt, I'm very glad he has such a large role in the film, both literally and figuratively (seriously, he is ripped). Who knew Stinky had such a bright future ahead of him?

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. You can keep up with everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or see our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu brings back Jonny Coyne's mysterious Imperial warlord from his brief appearance in the Shadow Council scene in The Mandalorian season 3.

That scene did not involve the titular duo, though, which means the movie is Coyne's first time appearing opposite Din Djarin and Din Grogu. Of course, the role of Mando is shared between Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, and Pedro Pascal – Pascal provides Din Djarin's voice and face (on the rare occasions he is unmasked), while Crowder provides the stunts and action work, and Wayne provides the more every day performance in the suit.

We spoke to Coyne, whose character's name is Janu Coin, all about his role in the Star Wars film, and we asked who he worked with the most on set.

"Mostly Brendan," Coyne tells us. "You'd be surprised, you know, Brendan carries a lot of the stuff because he's the silhouette of the Mandalorian in so many ways: the way he walks, the way he behaves. So, he's very much a part of it all. Lateef comes in and kicks everybody around. He's incredible, actually, Lateef, and I did get a chance to see him in action a lot of the time. But, most of my work was with Brendan."

While Coyne didn't work with Pedro Pascal on set, he did eventually get to meet him. "He's a fantastic actor, and so lovely. I met him at the premiere, and he was very charming, and bloody handsome," he laughs.

It's not just the Beskar-clad warrior Coyne shares the screen with, though: he also works with Grogu.

"It's a complete individual. They do say don't work with animals and children, because you'll never get a look in as an actor, and it's true," he jokes. "You've got a beautiful alien child in front of you, and as cute as anything, and when he starts flapping his eyes, lids, and he's flipping his ears and things, it's adorable.

"But the guys who [are] his family, as it were, the people who run him, they're never offline," Coyne adds. "They're kind of off-set, off-screen. You pass by, you give little Grogu a little tickle, and he comes alive. They're on him all the time, they just work him all the time. It's quite amazing to watch, really."

In fact, the scene Coyne shares with both of them in his office on Shakari ended up being his favorite from the entire movie.

"I did like my central scene with Mando and Grogu," he tells us. "That was great fun to play, not least because I get to say all the words, that's always the actor's favorite part. No, it was great to be part of all that, and live on that set and live in that world for a little while."

It helps that Coyne was already a big Star Wars fan, even before his role in season 3. "I have seen every single one of them. I'd seen all the Mando series before I got the job. A friend of mine did actually say to me, 'You should be in The Mandalorian.' I said, 'Well, okay, fine, great, bring it on, but you're not a casting director.' But, I'd seen all the Star Wars movies. I was, I think, 18, 19, when the first one came out. It's very much been a part of my entire life, long before I thought of becoming an actor. And then, at this stage of my career, to get into one of these is brilliant."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu brings everyone's favorite space dad and his tiny green son to the big screen in the first Star Wars movie in seven years, but originally, the plan was to continue the tale of Din Djarin and Din Grogu on the small screen in The Mandalorian season 4.

While Jon Favreau wrote the entirety of the season, after the dual SAG-AFTRA actors' strikes and WGA writers' strikes brought Hollywood to a halt, the plan pivoted to the film instead.

The movie pits Mando and Grogu against an ex-Imperial by the name of Commander Coin, who returns from the sinister Shadow Council scene in The Mandalorian season 3. As it turns out, though, Commander Coin actor Jonny Coyne was actually initially set to be part of season 4, too.

"There was a time when I was booked to do a whole load of other episodes in season 4," Coyne tells GamesRadar+. "And then that show went away, and then there was an actor strike, and there was COVID, and all sorts of things going on, and it was a difficult time.

"Then I heard the show got canceled, and so I just went, 'Okay, I'll pack my bags, and leave LA,'" he continues. "And then I heard I was going to be part of the movie, and then I heard I was going to be seriously part of the movie, you know, significantly. And then, Jon Favreau called me up and interviewed me, and talked to me about what he plans to do with the character, and I thought, 'Okay, bring it on.'"

But, while Coyne knows he was involved in season 4, he doesn't know if the plan was a similar storyline to what ended up making it to the screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

"Never got the scripts for that. Literally, though, the only thing I did with Mando was three lines in the Shadow Council. They weren't particularly significant lines, I don't think so," he says with a laugh, "but somehow it was all an intro to my character into what became the movie. So, I'm thinking maybe there was something along these lines in the series, but who knows."

In the film, Commander Coin, under the name Lord Janu, runs a gladiatorial fighting ring that features Rotta the Hutt as his star warrior. But, as we learned in The Mandalorian season 3, he's also part of the Imperial Remnants, who work in the shadows to undermine the New Republic.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, or our roundup on how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

Does Luke Skywalker appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu? One Star Wars fan thinks so.

Way back in 2020's The Mandalorian season 2, Luke Skywalker answered Grogu's call to the Jedi on Tython and arrived in the nick of time to rescue the youngling from Dark Troopers and whisk him off to Jedi school. But, in The Book of Boba Fett, Grogu chose to leave his Jedi training to reunite with Mando – and, since then, we haven't seen Luke Skywalker again.

But, in The Mandalorian and Grogu, one Star Wars fan might have spotted a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from the last Jedi himself.

In the film's opening credits, we get a good look at Adelphi Base, as the iconic Mandalorian theme tune plays in the background. In one moment, an R2 unit can be seen getting lowered into an X-wing. "Was that R2-D2 on Luke's X-Wing that I saw on The Mandalorian and Grogu" questions the fan.

It's not entirely clear, because the moment goes by fast enough that it's not easy to see the droid. It could just be a droid that bears a strong resemblance to R2-D2 – in fact, we see one of these in the opening credits, too – or it could be the iconic droid himself.

And, honestly, it would make a lot of sense if Luke Skywalker did visit Adelphi Base on occasion. While he's busy attempting to start his new Jedi Order, he'd likely still have strong ties to the New Republic at this point on the Star Wars timeline. Maybe he dropped in to say hi to his former student, Grogu? Who's to say…

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the other The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs and cameos, or see our roundup of all the upcoming Star Wars movies and how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

The Mandalorian and Grogu timeline is a bit of a tricky one to figure it out. The film brings back one of the galaxy's best on-screen pairings for a new feature-length adventure. Starring Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin, the new movie sees him join forces with his young apprentice Grogu to go on a mission for the New Republic.

They're brought in by Sigourney Weaver's Colonel Ward to locate Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta the Hutt for his aunt and uncle in exchange for getting some intel on a missing Imperial target.

Much like the TV show, The Mandalorian and Grogu takes place right in the middle of Star Wars timeline. However, you'd be forgiven if you needed a little bit of a reminder about when exactly that is. This is especially true as sometimes the events crossover with the wider universe and other times they stay pretty separate. Well, that's where we come in. Below we've taken a deep dive into when exactly the movie fits in, including breaking down exactly what that means in the wider context of the Star Wars universe. This is the Way to our ultimate The Mandalorian and Grogu timeline guide.

When is The Mandalorian and Grogu set on the Star Wars timeline? *SPOILERS*

The Mandalorian and Grogu takes place after the events of main series. The first two seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus took place in around 9 ABY with the third season taking place two years later in 11 ABY.

It's not confirmed exactly how long after the third season that the new movie begins, but it seems likely that a bit of time has passed. We last saw Mando and Grogu settled on Nevarro and when we meet them again in The Mandalorian and Grogu, they're officially in action as bounty hunters.

In the movie, it's clear they've worked with the New Republic on several missions too. So it seems a least a year or two have passed since they started out. It's long enough too that after their work finding Rotta the Hutt, Mando says that he wants to take a break.

We're going to suggest that we're likely in 12/13 ABY then, based on all of this. The whole movie takes place over the course of likely a week or so, meaning that we won't be jumping far beyond this either. The longest time gap is when Mando is mortally wounded after being bitten by a dragon snake, which likely takes at most a week.

Now you might be wondering what exactly 12 ABY means in the grand scheme of the Star Wars timeline. On a broader level, we are in the 30-year gap between the original Star Wars trilogy and the sequel trilogy.

This is the era of The New Republic after the fall of the Empire. This takes place from around 5 ABY until 34 ABY. After this, The First Order rises, which is the era of the sequel trilogy.

As a result, there are a lot of callbacks in The Mandalorian to the familiar world of the original Star Wars movies. In the show these covered everything from Stormtrooper helmets to an actual Luke Skywalker cameo. In the movie, the main reference comes from the introduction of Rotta the Hutt, who is Jabba the Hutt's now grown-up son. There are several other The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs too, including some cameos from The Clone Wars and Rebels characters.

The gap between the end of 12 ABY and the rise of the First Order in 34 ABY is still being filled up in the wider world of Star Wars. We expect to see more exploration of this in the upcoming Ahsoka season 2 as well as the announced Dave Filoni universe movie, which will bring these characters back to the big screen.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is out in theaters now. For more, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows on the way as well as reading our The Mandalorian and Grogu review.

If you're looking for all The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs and cameos, then you've come to the right place.

Star Wars is notorious for dropping in Easter eggs in every project, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is no different. Below, we've rounded up 18 Easter eggs and 7 cameos tucked away in the film. Now, to be clear, we're not counting the likes of Rotta the Hutt, Embo the bounty hunter, or Zeb Orrelios as a cameo, since those are both fully fledged characters in the film. We mean more the blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearances.

It should go without saying that the following contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian and Grogu, so turn back now if you haven't seen the newest Star Wars movie yet! If you're up to speed, then this is the Way to all the hidden details you might have missed. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Easter eggs

Hutt droids

Keep your eyes peeled on Nal Hutta, and you might spot several familiar droids. Clone Wars-era battle droid heads are mounted on some of the guards, along with K2 unit heads. Plus, at one point, Mando tussles with a B2-series super battle droid.

BD units

On the New Republic base, BD droids can be seen walking in the background. These are the same type of droids as BD-1, Cal Kestis's droid companion, and they can be seen in Peli Motto's garage in The Mandalorian TV show, too.

Rotta the Hutt's hologram

When the Hutt Twins are tasking Mando with saving Rotta, they show him a holo-image of their nephew as a youngling. He looks exactly like Rotta did in The Clone Wars movie, only in live-action. This model was first revealed in a behind-the-scenes tour of Jon Favreau's creature shop.

Martin Scorsese and his movies

Martin Scorsese voices Hugo, a chef whom Din Djarin tries to ply some information about Shakari's criminal element from. Hugo, however, is very reluctant to give Mando any information because he's scared of the gangsters. Scorsese, of course, is famous for directing gangster movies like Goodfellas, The Irishman, Casino, and more. Plus, Hugo is the name of a 2011 movie directed by Scorsese.

Huttese

When Mando comes across Rotta in his cell, he greets the young Hutt with "de wanna wanga." This is a Huttese greeting, most notably used by Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi.

Luke Skywalker

While the last Jedi doesn't make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu after his cameos in The Mandalorian season 2 finale and The Book of Boba Fett, there is a reference to him. When Din Djarin shows up at Rotta's cell, he says, "I'm here to rescue you." This is exactly what Luke said to a captive Princess Leia on board the Death Star.

Lord Janu

Crime boss Lord Janu is actually none other than the Imperial Commander Coin that the New Republic want found and arrested. He first appeared in The Mandalorian season 3's Shadow Council (as did the Imperial warlord seen in the film's snowy opening action sequence).

Dejarik

Mando figures out that Janu is going to subject Rotta to a "dejarik match," meaning he's going to keep throwing foes at Rotta until the Hutt is killed. Dejarik is the name of Star Wars's equivalent of chess, which is played by C-3PO and Chewbacca on the Millenium Falcon in A New Hope. The enemies that Rotta faces are the same as the holographic players on the board. Cal Kestis went through a similar experience in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, though it wasn't an actual dejarik match.

"I can bring you in warm..."

When Din Djarin arrests Janu, he says his classic catchphrase, first heard in the very first episode of the show: "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold." This convinces Janu to surrender without a fight.

Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano

Neither Jedi nor Padawan make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, but Rotta does tell Mando that, when he was Baby Yoda's age, he had to fend for himself. This isn't strictly true, as, when Rotta was a baby, he was kidnapped by Separatists and rescued by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. They returned Baby Rotta safely to his father, Jabba the Hutt, on Tatooine.

Macarons

As Rotta departs on the gunrunner Mando found to take him safely out of reach of the Hutt Twins, he gives Grogu a parting gift: teal macarons. Grogu ate these in The Mandalorian show, and promptly threw them up during a space battle. This time, Mando confiscates them before Grogu can eat too many, then uses them to lure away Embo the bounty hunter's anooba (not The Clone Wars's Marrok – no relation to Inquisitor Marrok – but a new anooba named Keibu).

Trap door

The Hutt Twins drop Mando through a trap door, where he has to face a giant dragon snake. This mirrors Jabba the Hutt dropping Luke Skywalker through a trap door, where he had to face a Rancor.

Amani

As Mando escapes the Hutt lair, the Twins release the Amani, slimy aquatic creatures first introduced in The Clone Wars.

Grogu's walking stick

While Mando is injured from being poisoned, Grogu gets himself a walking stick to help him trek through the forest, then meditates on a tree branch. He looks just like Yoda.

"This is the Way"

The Mandalorian says his other iconic catchphrase, "this is the Way," after he recovers from being poisoned after Grogu feeds him the poultice given to him by the friendly stranger in the forest.

Grogu's Force calming

Grogu is able to use the Force to calm Embo's annoba Keibu in the Twins's lair. He used this same ability on the Rancor in The Book of Boba Fett.

Droids breaking down the door

Towards the end of the film, Mando stays behind as the Twins's droid guard attempt to break down the door to their throne room. This is just like the scene in The Mandalorian season 2 finale, when the Dark Troopers were smashing down the door on Moff Gideon's ship.

X-wings

Colonel Ward and the other X-wing pilots show up to save the day on Nal Hutta, and they use the same targeting computers as in the Death Star trench run in A New Hope. Plus, as they fly away, their formation looks very similar to the starships flying away from the Death Star right before it explodes.

The Mandalorian and Grogu cameos

Martin Scorsese

One of the most legendary directors of all time voices Hugo the chef in The Mandalorian and Grogu: Martin Scorsese himself. He even gets a credit in the opening sequence

"I know him, and I'm friendly with him when I see him," Favreau told SFX magazine of how the cameo came about. "But also I'm a fan, so I get a little tongue-tied, to be honest with you, when I'm around him and his generation of filmmakers that were so influential on me."

Kathleen Kennedy helped make it all happen. "She knows him well, she socialises with him, and she's like a gold-star producer, so this was an easy one for her," Favreau revealed. "She called him up, he said yes and I got to direct him. He was improvising, and we recorded his whole performance, which we then gave to the CG animators. Boy, it's quite impressive what they were able to do. It's one of the funnest parts of the film. It works well for the story, as a fan of Marty and as a fan of Star Wars."

Dave Filoni

Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni returns as Trapper Wolf, watching Mando bring in Janu Coin and then flying an X-wing in Adelphi squadron at the end of the film. He first appeared in live-action Star Wars in The Mandalorian season 1.

Deborah Chow

Deborah Chow is back as her Star Wars character Sash Ketter, seen in Adelphi Base. Chow directed two episodes of season 1 of The Mandalorian and also directed all of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and she first had a cameo in The Mandalorian season 1.

Rick Famuyiwa

Rick Famuyiwa has directed episodes of The Mandalorian and one episode of Ahsoka, and he reprises his role as Jib Dodger the pilot – whom he cameos as in The Mandalorian season 1 – in The Mandalorian and Grogu. He's part of Adelphi Squadron and shows up at the end to help rescue Mando.

Lee Isaac Chung

One of the pilots in Adelphi Squadron is filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, who plays Lieutenant Garrett Sal. He debuted in a cameo in The Mandalorian season 3. Behind the camera, he directed an episode of season 3 and an episode of Skeleton Crew.

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Carson Teva

When the Adelphi Squadron shows up to rescue Mando, Carson Teva is one of the pilots flying with them. Played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, you probably recognize him from The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.

Anthony Daniels

C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels is credited as voicing an Air Traffic Control Droid in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

For more, check out our The Mandalorian and Grogu review, or our guide to watching all the Star Wars movies in order.