Let's Clear Up Those 'Mandalorian' & 'Boba Fett' Rumors

Disney+ conceived of The Mandalorian as Star Wars in the wild, wild West. Not only does it have the Western sounding theme song, but also, the characters even follow the conceit, with the show never using their real names. (Din Djarin is "The Mandalorian" and Grogu is "The Child" in the same way Clint Eastwood is "The Stranger" in A Fistful of Dollars.) But all good Westerns come to an end, which is why The Mandalorian's Season 2 finale had fans asking if this was it for the series. And if so, would The Book Of Boba Fett replace The Mandalorian? Thankfully, showrunner Jon Favreau has clarified the situation.

Warning: Spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2 follow. The series saved the big cameos for its final episode of Season 2. After introducing Bo Katan, Ahsoka, and Boba Fett over Season 2's run, the finale brought aboard Luke Skywalker and R2-D2, who arrived to take Baby Yoda off for Jedi training. The digitally de-aged Mark Hamill convinced Mando that Grogu was better off with him, and after meeting R2, the tyke was convinced. The send-off was one of the show's most moving moments so far. But it also felt final. Mando's mission was complete; Baby Yoda was returned to his kind. Where could the show go from here?

The sense of finality was compounded by the series' first post-credit sequence. Instead of introducing a new mission for Mando or pointing the way for a new direction for the show, it focused instead on Boba Fett. With Fennec by his side, Fett stormed Jabba the Hutt's palace, murdering all those who had left him for dead. He settled on Jabba's old throne as the credits flashed "The Book of Boba Fett, Coming December of 2021."

It confirmed the already-popular rumor from November that said Disney+ was working on a Boba Fett show. But considering December has become the space in the Disney+ calendar that's occupied by The Mandalorian, fans had a lot of questions. Variety reported in April that The Mandalorian Season 3 was in preproduction, planned for December of 2021. Moreover, the December Disney+ Investor Day presentation stated the "Next Chapter" would come at "Christmas" of 2021.

Was The Book of Boba Fett this "next chapter"? Moreover, what would this mean for Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka, the two announced spinoffs, which supposedly build with The Mandalorian into a "crossover event?"

Appearing on Good Morning America on Monday, Dec. 21, Favreau brought some answers. He announced that The Book of Boba Fett is not replacing The Mandalorian; Season 3 is happening. But there's a catch.

The team behind The Book of Boba Fett is the same one as The Mandalorian, and, as much as fans would like them to, they cannot film two shows simultaneously. Therefore, production on The Mandalorian Season 3 is effectively on hold until The Book of Boba Fett has been completed.

In short, The Book of Boba Fett is the next project up and will arrive in December of 2021. The Mandalorian Season 3 will then follow the next year, most likely around 2022's holiday season. Hopefully, by then, Grogu will have advanced in his training and will perhaps join forces once again with Mando.