The Mandalorian and Grogu film’s reported budget has Star Wars fans torn: “This is doomed”

Brad Norton
A still of The Mandalorian

Star Wars fans are divided after reports suggested The Mandalorian and Grogu film will have a budget smaller than that of a season of the Disney+ series.

Kicking 2024 off with a bang, Lucasfilm unveiled its grand plans for the next Star Wars film. While plenty of big-screen productions are in the works, next on the calendar is a film centered around The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Jetpacking their way off the Disney+ streaming service and straight into cinemas worldwide, the film is set to shoot later this year before a 2026 release. As for how it may impact Season 4 of the show, no one quite knows for certain just yet.

But amid rumblings of the financials behind this production, Star Wars fans have been torn down the middle. While some fully understand the scope of the film’s reported budget, others have been left quite concerned.

A still from The Mandalorian

In the latest report from Bespin Bulletin, sources advised them filming is set to commence on June 17, 2024, and run through until October. As a four-month-long shoot, it clocks in a few months shorter than that of a typical Mando season.

Alongside its alleged schedule, one source also reportedly claimed the budget for the flick “isn’t as high” as what a single season of the Disney+ series would cost.

While exact figures haven’t been publicized since Season 1, original budget estimates place a typical Mando episode in the $15 million ballpark, equating to $120 million for the first season.

So although there’s no telling the precise budget for The Mandalorian and Grogu film, the source expects it to fall short of that $120 million range.

For comparison, just five Star Wars films exceed that mark, with three films in the franchise costing over $300 million to make.

With these rumblings making the rounds across social media, many have chimed in, with some expressing their concerns.

More explosive reactions have argued “Star Wars is dead” because of the news, with others saying the project is “doomed” from the start.

Some measured takes express their frustration with what the budget could imply, given Disney’s recent reliance on the Volume, an indoor facility used to film the bulk of Mando.

“If they film this in the Volume, I’m going to be so disappointed,” one Star Wars fan chimed in.
“This project has the same energy as the straight-to-video Lion King prequel,” another joked.

Though it wasn’t all disappointment on the internet. “This is great,” another fan fired back. “The show is stupidly expensive and you can make great movies on lower budgets than you think.”

Just how it all pans out, we’ll have to wait and see, as The Mandalorian and Grogu film won’t hit cinemas until 2026.