Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni Reveal Why Rotta The Hutt Was The Perfect Star Wars Character To Revive

Published May 15, 2026, 8:46 AM EDT

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, Favreau and Filoni, who both co-wrote the Favreau-directed The Mandalorian and Grogu, discussed what it was like to bring Rotta the Hutt back after such a long time. Favreau explained how Rotta was always his favorite baby character in Star Wars, even surpassing Grogu after his creation. They credit both characters to writer Henry Gilroy, whose work made it possible for them to bring Rotta back. As for his return, they decided it made sense to see where the Hutt had gone decades after his rescue.

Check out what Favreau and Filoni had to say below:

Jon Favreau: First of all, it starts with Dave, with his first, with Clone Wars. I learned about [sic] because when Baby Yoda, when Grogu was first revealed, online it was like, "He's cool, but here's my favorite baby from Star Wars, and they would show pictures of little Rotta the Hut.

ScreenRant: I saw the one you hand-painted.

Jon Favreau: Well, recently I painted that at Guillermo del Toro's house, I must say. And I was there, and we had a 3D print, and we were painting models. I painted that one and brought it in as a reference. I paint a lot of stuff as reference. It's part of my way of sort of studying the design, and we ended up replacing the CG one with the actual -- and now they want to make a collectible figure out of it.

Dave Filoni: I remember being with Henry Gilroy when he was writing Clone Wars when we first started out, and he pitched this idea of this child Hutt, and I was like, "Okay, I don't know, maybe sure let's try that." And then years later, he comes in, and he's pitching a baby Yoda, and I'm like, "What is going on where I'm always somehow conveyance for these child characters?" Of all the things, because we talked about so many things, what would be in Star Wars, what could we pick, what could we bring, like you were saying, the Ugnaughts, like take something. I never thought Rotta would come up. I mean, I've often wondered about him, and where he's gone on, but when you were like, "Hey, I think Rotta, I think there's a thing here."

Rotta's return will be essential to the story of The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film will follow the titular pair as they are tasked with locating Imperial Commander Coyne. The Hutts have information on his whereabouts, but ask the two to do something for them before they get any answers. According to some plot descriptions for the movie, it seems like this initial mission may be linked to Rotta, who can be seen in the trailers fighting in an arena. Whether he's there of his own free will remains to be seen.

The Hutts playing a bigger role in the story is important, given how connected Rotta and Jabba have been to Star Wars' timeline since the days of the Clone Wars. While Jabba and the Hutts brokered information for the Republic, they don't take any particular sides in the Clone Wars. This goes for their involvement in the war between the Rebellion and the Empire, with Jabba eventually becoming connected to the Empire. He's later killed by Leia Skywalker, while the whereabouts of his son after the Clone Wars have always remained a mystery.

Bringing him back not only adds to The Mandalorian's cameo characters from other Star Wars projects, but also promises a story that justifies his return to the franchise. Based on what Favreau and Filoni have stated, it seems like Rotta might have a core role to play in the film. Even if he doesn't, there appears to be ideas surrounding his involvement that were noteworthy enough to bring him back 18 years after he was first introduced.

With The Mandalorian and Grogu looming on the horizon, it won't be long until the reason for Rotta's Star Wars return becomes more apparent. Once the movie arrives in theaters on May 22, 2026, it'll be apparent why Favreau and Filoni decided to bring The Clone Wars character back, and why he's a vital part of the next chapter in Din Djarin and Grogu's story.