Disney’s next theatrical Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, releases on May 22, 2026, and fans are already buzzing about the return of some of the most beloved characters the franchise has created in the last five years. However, while speaking to MovieWeb, the actress behind one of the franchise’s most formidable villains has confirmed that she will sadly not be appearing in next year’s movie.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will feature the ongoing adventures of the titular duo, and based on the trailer alone, we know that the Republic will be employing them in its ongoing efforts to handle the growing threat of Imperial warlords, with actor Johnny Coyne cast as one of them. Along with Coyne is Mando himself, Pedro Pascal, and Sigourney Weaver as Colonel Ward of the New Republic.
However, one star who will not be joining them is Katy O’Brian, who plays Imperial remnant officer Elia Kane in The Mandalorian. In an exclusive interview discussing her role in Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, MovieWeb’s George Edelman asked O’Brian about her possible return to the Star Wars universe next summer, to which she confirmed:
While this is a disappointment for fans of the imposing character, there are several other characters that will help fill the gap, including a surprising and unique bit of casting with Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt. Who is that, you might ask?Rotta the Hutt has his own strange history, being the son of Jabba and the maguffin of the plot in Filoni’s animated 2018 film, The Clone Wars, which set in motion the events covered in the animated series of the same name. Rotta is all grown up now, and according to what we saw in the trailer, he’s been hitting the gym. The fact remains, however, that Elia Kane’s absence from the upcoming film comes as something of a surprise.
Where We Last Left Elia Kane
O’Brian’s character, Elia Kane, was last seen in Season 3 of The Mandalorian. While she had been integrated into the Republic’s amnesty program, she never abandoned her loyalty to Moff Gideon, providing him with vital intel about the team-up of Bo Katan Kryze’s squadron and Din Djarin’s covert. This was a major turning point, indicating Kane’s role as a spy for Gideon and the gradual gathering of Imperial forces. Gideon cryptically told her to ‘continue her mission.’ Her fate beyond that moment remains unknown.
Prior to committing to the feature film route, showrunners Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau had been drafting Season 4 of the series. We’ll likely never know how many story elements were left by the wayside in the transfer from season to feature film, but we know that Elia Kane also ties into larger franchise-wide ideas related to this current collection of villains, and she very well could crop up again before The Mandalorian era comes to a close.
With Season 2 of Ahsoka on deck, and a clear connection between the actions of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the gathering warlords, nobody would be surprised to see O’Brian back in the mix, or in potential future crossovers between The Mandalorian story arc and that of Ahsoka‘s. Though O’Brian confirmed she wouldn’t be back for the upcoming feature, she was convinced she wouldn’t be back for Season 3 of the show either, certain that Kane had died at the end of Season 2.
The patterns of the Filoni-verse thus far would indicate the potential of some team-up against the growing threat of Thrawn. Having made his presence initially known in Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Thrawn was firmly established as the new big threat to the burgeoning Republic, forcing his way from galactic exile back into the thick of things. Stay tuned for more pieces of intel as we creep closer to Star Wars‘ return to screens big and small.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be in theaters on May 22, 2026.
- Release Date
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May 22, 2026
- Sequel(s)
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Dave Filoni’s Untitled Mandalorian Movie
