Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni has a bigger role on The Mandalorian and Grogu than Star Wars fans might have initially thought.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released in United States theaters this coming May. Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie serves as a continuation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and will see Pedro Pascal reprise his role as Din Djarin.

What is Dave Filoni’s role on the Star Wars Mandalorian & Grogu movie?

It was previously known that Filoni co-wrote the script for The Mandalorian and Grogu with Favreau and that he serves as one of the producers. Additionally, it was revealed last year that he’ll reprise his live-action role as Trapper Wolff in the film. Filoni previously played the character on the Disney+ show.

Now, though, Empire Magazine has also revealed that Filoni, who is leading Lucasfilm alongside Lynwen Brennan after Kathleen Kennedy announced she was stepping down from her position earlier this year, also served as the second-unit director on The Mandalorian and Grogu.

While it’s not exactly clear which elements of the Star Wars flick that Filoni worked on, the second-unit director is typically responsible for managing and filming scenes that don’t involve any of the main cast and crew. Oftentimes, second-unit directors tend to handle action scenes, though there are plenty of other examples of assignments — such as B-roll and background shots — that they might be in charge of.

Filoni said of the movie, “We’re in a completely different era of Star Wars now…What can’t you do now? It’s a question of, ‘Is the audience going to believe it? Are they going to feel it?’ That comes through the characters. If the characters are connecting, then the adventure plays, the action plays, the tension plays.”

With a supporting cast that includes Sigourney Weaver as Ward and Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt, The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on May 22, 2026.