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Some people have doubts about launching a new project aimed at a passionate fanbase. Not Pedro Pascal, who admitted that he knew all along that audiences were going to connect with the Mandalorian, even before shooting had started on the Disney+ hit that’s headed for the big screen.

Pascal was one of three cast members from the upcoming movie, Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu on stage at Star Wars Celebration Japan — well, two cast members and Grogu, who showed up in the hands of director Jon Favreau. Standing alongside series newcomer Sigourney Weaver (who said that she “got really lucky” in being invited to be in the new movie), Pascal said that he knew that audiences would connect with the Mandalorian to the extent that they have.

What convinced him? He knew as soon as he saw the storyboards for the series, he said. To be fair, if Lucasfilm is known for anything, it’s that the concept art and storyboards for their projects are amazing.

Audiences at the Mandalorian and Grogu panel in Tokyo didn’t just get to see the cast of the movie in person — they also got to see the first footage from the film, more than a year before it’s released in theaters: while it was plot-light, the footage did show the Mandalorian take on some Imperial troopers, as well as Grogu dismantling a droid using the Force. Truly, what it is to be young and gifted with a worrying amount of midichlorians.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu will be in theaters May 22, 2026.

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