The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't just mark the first theatrical Star Wars release in seven years (since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019), but also first release during Dave Filoni's tenure as president of Lucasfilm. While the film was still largely developed under Kathleen Kennedy's leadership, Filoni, who co-wrote and produced the film, has been doing the promotional rounds ahead of its release.
In a recent sit-down with Collider, Filoni was asked how he's approaching Star Wars storytelling across both film and television. Under Kennedy, Star Wars expanded aggressively onto Disney+, largely driven by the company's push to grow the streamer's subscription base.
From 2019 to 2025, fans got a steady stream of content including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte, alongside several animated series. What was once considered an event franchise gradually became a constant presence, and that volume of content started to raise real concerns about fan fatigue.
For Filoni, it's not so much about the number of movies and shows, but rather the quality of the storytelling. He's not approaching the franchise with a set number of movies or series he needs to release every year.
“For me right now, rather than dealing with hard numbers like that, I'm just looking at the stories and the potential and planning what I'd like to do," he told Collider. "I believe in having an overarching idea and then saying, 'Okay, it’s this many of that, and then we can have that.' There are certain things that have been in motion already that, obviously, I want to continue."
"Jon and I have had a great partnership for many years now, telling stories," he continued. "So, I look at the stories that I'm kind of planning and architecting, and I look at other creative talents that bring us, also, great stories, and I just try to find a way to make them all work."
Among the projects in the pipeline are shows like Maul — Shadow Lord and Ahsoka, which he plans to continue serving as writer and creator of. There's also the highly anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter film from director Shawn Levy.
“There’s a lot on my plate which is exciting, not just in live-action but animation, like Maul, which has been very fun, and they’re driving forward.” he said. In April, Filoni confirmed that Maul – Shadow Lord will return for a second season.
"I’ve got Ahsoka Season 2 coming, which is very exciting," he noted in his interview. Just this past week, it was announced that Ahsoka Season 2 has been delayed and will now premiere on Disney+ in 2027.
“Shawn Levy did a great job with Starfighter," Filoni said, praising the film which stars Ryan Gosling in a story set five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
"So there’s a lot," he continued. “And the re-release of Episode IV. There’s so much exciting stuff coming for Star Wars fans. But I have to say, I said this earlier, fans have known me now for 20 years and that I’ve worked with and told Star Wars stories, so I think they have a good idea of what to expect. I’ve so far really enjoyed collaborating with everybody, and we are well on our way. The future’s in motion now, so it’s exciting.”
It's worth noting that many of these projects were already under development under Kennedy, so we've yet to see what direction Filoni plans to take the franchise. Up first though, we've got The Mandalorian and Grogu, which flies into theaters on May 22.