Four years ago, audiences were first introduced to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu in Star Wars’ first live-action TV show, The Mandalorian. Now, the beloved characters are set to make their first appearance on the big screen.

On Tuesday, Lucasfilm officially announced that The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni, will begin production later this year. Though the last to be announced, Favreau’s film will be the first to feature in cinemas ahead of projects led by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold and Dave Filoni, which were introduced at 2023 Star Wars Celebration.

Still, this announcement comes as both a surprise and a confirmation of speculation about where Din and his apprentice/child would end up next, if anywhere at all. Season three of The Mandalorian gave the clan of two a relatively satisfying ending, but still left a few unanswered questions regarding connections to other projects such as Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew and Dave Filoni’s own future film.

As to what The Mandalorian & Grogu will cover, apart from the titular characters themselves, that’s for Star Wars fans to theorize and wonder about for the months to come.

There is no set release date yet, but with just over four years separating the last cinematic Star Wars release from now, no doubt fans will be ready to celebrate their favorite franchise at theaters once more.

In the meantime, they have another exciting announcement to look forward to: Ahsoka season 2 is officially in development.

This is, indeed, the way.