Major Star Wars character won’t return for Mandalorian & Grogu movie and everyone’s mad

Christopher Baggett
Boba Fett and Fennic Shan from the Book of Boba Fett

The Mandalorian’s big-screen debut has fans excited, but the movie will be missing one key Star Wars character: Boba Fett.

Boba Fett’s return was a pivotal moment for Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian, and the hype surrounding it made a spin-off inevitable. But the lukewarm reception to The Book of Boba Fett may have killed that interest, and now it looks like he’ll sit out 2026’s The Mandalorian & Grogu.

As reported by ScreenRant, Boba Fett actor Temuera Morrison told the crowd at Fan Expo Chicago that he hadn’t gotten the call for The Mandalorian & Grogu yet, and believed Boba Fett to be out of play for now.

“I’m still waiting for a phone call to be quite honest. I think we’re just put on the shelf for a little bit. Maybe we come off the shelf later,” Morrison explained to the crowd.

Fans are frustrated with what they perceive as another knock against Boba Fett. He remains a fan-favorite character to this day, despite not having been on the big screen since Return of the Jedi. However, the character’s grand return in The Book of Boba Fett was a letdown for fans and had a notoriously poor reception.

“How badly did Disney f**k up Boba Fett that Boba Fett isn’t even invited back to be in the movie about a blatant Boba Fett knockoff who is already in-universe friends with Boba Fett?” one fan asked.

“I do not like the Book of Boba Fett, but it actually makes me sad that Temuera Morrison knows a majority of audiences didn’t like it.” another added.

Nonetheless, it may make sense for the character to be absent. Boba Fett was last seen being accepted as Tattooine’s new crime lord, filling the power vacuum left by Jabba the Hutt, and even sat out The Mandalorian Season 3.

We don’t yet know plot details about The Mandalorian & Grogu, but footage screened at D23 seems to hint at a return to Hoth. It’s possible Fett’s absence may be as simple as he’s busy somewhere else in the galaxy far, far away during the movie.

The Mandalorian & Grogu releases in theaters on May 22, 2026. Until then, check out how to watch the entire Star Wars timeline in order or our list of the best Star Wars quotes and revel in more nostalgia. 

Or, you can really nerd out and see how tall Darth Vader is and compare that to how tall Yoda is.

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