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Jeremy Allen White is headed to a galaxy far, far away. The star of "The Bear" and "The Iron Claw" has officially joined the cast of the next "Star Wars" movie set to grace the silver screen. That movie is "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which is headed our way in 2026 and hails from director Jon Favreau. As the title implies, it takes place in the world of "The Mandalorian" TV show, with Mando and Grogu set to jump from the small screen to the big screen. White will be joining Pedro Pascal and Baby Yoda at some point during said adventure.
As first reported by The Insneider, White is set to join the "Star Wars" galaxy as the voice of Rotta the Hutt. Unless you are a hardcore fan of the franchise, one would be forgiven for not recognizing that name right off the bat. Rotta is the son of none other than Jabba the Hutt, and was first introduced in the 2008 "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" movie, which paved the way for the long-running series on Cartoon Network. To put it mildly, the movie is not highly regarded, but the show has become a true corner piece of the fandom. So, bringing back Rotta is an interesting choice.
Rotta was just a baby Huttlet when we saw him in "Clone Wars, but he was the Heir apparent to the Hutt empire, His power-hungry great-uncle Ziro marked him for death as a power grand, arranging for Rotta to be kidnapped. Given that those events took place much further back in the timeline than "The Mandalorian," which takes place several years after the events of "Return of the Jedi," it's safe to say Rotta has grown up.
The Clone Wars continues to have a huge influence on Star Wars
Lucasfilm
Amazingly, even though Favreau's entry in the saga has already wrapped filming, remarkably little about it has been revealed. The only other confirmed new cast member is Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Avatar"). Beyond that, all plot details and other casting choices have been kept tightly under wraps. Dave Filoni, the architect behind "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," is on board as a producer. Filoni, it's worth noting, now serves as the chief creative officer at Lucasfilm.
As for White, this is the latest in a series of high-profile gigs for the actor. While he had been around the business for some time starring in shows like "Shameless," it was his star-making turn on "The Bear" that put him on Hollywood's A-list. Now, he's joining one of the biggest franchises in history, albeit in an unexpected way as the voice of a Hutt.
Meanwhile, Disney and Lucasfilm are getting ready to bring "Star Wars" back to a theater near you after a several year absence. 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker" was the last film to hit theaters, and Lucasfilm has since being taking a break to figure out what direction to take the franchise next. More than a few projects are currently in development, including a new "Star Wars" trilogy from Simon Kinberg ("Dark Phoenix"). There's also a movie that will see Daisy Ridley's Rey building a new Jedi Order, a movie from James Mangold that will take place at the dawn of the Jedi, and one from Filoni that will tie together all of the shows in the Mando-verse.
"The Mandalorian and Grogu" is currently set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.
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