Star Wars’ Next Movie Is Secretly a Sequel to This Forgotten 2008 Film

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I’m so excited for the new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu! It’s going to continue the story we’ve been following, and it’s cool to hear it’s picking up threads from a movie from way back in 2008 for one of the characters. It’s a huge deal because it’s the first Star Wars film in theaters for seven years! Basically, instead of getting a fourth season of The Mandalorian on Disney+, we’re getting this movie, and a lot of people are hoping it’ll kick off a whole new set of films. It’s awesome how connected everything is now, with characters showing up from all the different movies and even the animated shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Most fans know The Clone Wars as the animated series that ran for seven seasons, fitting between the films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. However, it’s also the name of a 2008 movie that came out before the series and first introduced the character Ahsoka Tano.

Premiering in theaters in August 2008, The Clone Wars was the first Star Wars project directed by Dave Filoni, a protégé of George Lucas. Lucas was impressed with the initial episodes of the Cartoon Network series and decided to combine the first four into a movie for a theatrical release.

Ahsoka wasn’t the only character from the Mandalorian-era stories to first appear in the 2008 animated movie. That film also introduced Rotta the Hutt, Jabba the Hutt’s son. The plot involved Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano working together to save Rotta after he was kidnapped.

Just as Ahsoka finishes her adventures on the planet Peridea in another galaxy, Grand Admiral Thrawn is making his way back to our galaxy. Because Ahsoka is stranded on Peridea until her Disney+ show returns for a second season, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to reconnect with those she rescued anytime soon – unless it happens in another story within the ‘MandoVerse’ universe.

Count Dooku arranged the kidnapping to disrupt peace talks between the Republic and the Hutts. Although Asajj Ventress actually kidnapped Rotta, she received help from Rotta’s uncle, Ziro, who was trying to gain more power within the Hutt family.

As a big fan of The Clone Wars, I always hoped we’d see more of Rotta! Sadly, after his initial arc, he only popped up once – a quick, silent cameo with Jabba in Season 3’s “Sphere of Influence.” It was great to see him again, even briefly, but I definitely wanted more!

Fans can look forward to the return of Rotta the Hutt in the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu movie. Emmy-nominated actor Jeremy Allen White, known for his roles in Shameless and The Bear, will provide the voice for the character. Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver will also star in the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.

Fans will be excited to see Rotta return in The Mandalorian & Grogu, marking only his second major appearance. The movie essentially picks up his story from The Clone Wars, showing what happened to the Hutt as he’s grown up.

How Does Rotta the Hutt Play Into The Mandalorian & Grogu?

Rotta appeared briefly in the trailer, performing for an audience in an arena. The movie’s description hinted that Din Djarin will participate in a gladiator-style fight featuring massively scaled-up versions of the creatures seen in the Dejarik game, all in the 2026 film.

It’s easy to picture Rotta leading an event like this before he gets caught up in Din Djarin’s fight against the remaining Imperial forces. Jeremy Allen White has suggested Rotta will be Din Djarin’s partner throughout the upcoming film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and that the two will be “running around together for much of it.”

Most Hutts in Star Wars communicate in their native language, Huttese, rather than the common language of the galaxy, Galactic Basic (which is essentially English). However, there have been instances where Hutts speak other languages, like Ziro. In The Mandalorian & Grogu, it seems likely Rotta will also speak a more widely understood language, considering the talented actor cast in the role – it wouldn’t make sense to have such a skilled performer speaking only unintelligible sounds.

Rotta the Hutt was 55 years old during The Clone Wars, which would make him approximately 86 years old during The Mandalorian & Grogu. Considering Hutts can live for around 1000 years and aren’t fully grown for the first 70, we might see a relatively young Rotta – a teenager or young adult – appear in future stories from White.

It remains to be seen what Rotta was up to during the 31 years between The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian & Grogu, or how he dealt with Jabba the Hutt’s death in Return of the Jedi. However, it looks like he’ll be portrayed as more of a hero – or at least a complex character – compared to the rest of his villainous family.

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2025-12-03 20:05