From Lone Wolf to Mentor: Din Djarin’s Next Chapter Takes Shape

The armor may still shine the same, but Din Djarin is not the man he once was. The latest issue of Empire Magazine offers a fresh look at next summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, along with new insights from director Jon Favreau — and it’s clear that the bond at the heart of the saga is evolving in ways that will reshape the galaxy around them.

From the moment we met him in that unforgettable opening scene of The Mandalorian, Din was a lone wolf: silent, efficient, and fiercely independent. But everything changed the moment Grogu entered his life. By the end of Season 1, the hardened bounty hunter and the mysterious child were no longer strangers — they were a pair, tied together by one of Star Wars’ foundational dynamics: the teacher and the apprentice.

Favreau tells Empire that The Mandalorian and Grogu will carry that evolution even further.

“The Mandalorian has changed his priorities… I don’t want to go out there and just be a hired gun. I want to work for the good guys.”

Those “good guys” now include Colonel Ward of the New Republic, played by Sigourney Weaver, who provides Din with a new sense of purpose — and new orders.

The film will also give fans a deeper look at Zeb Orrelios, the beloved Rebels character glimpsed only briefly in Season 3. Favreau teases that Zeb’s swagger, physicality, and unmistakable presence will play a larger role this time.

Still, at its core, the film remains about Din and Grogu — their partnership, their growth, and the lessons they continue to teach one another.

“That central relationship… that’s the underpinning of the film.”

The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters on May 22, 2026, marking the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. The new issue of Empire lands Thursday, November 20.