The next Star Wars movie to hit the big screen will be The Mandalorian & Grogu, which recently finished filming ahead of its expected May 22, 2026 release date. Outside of the fact that it continues the storyline of Din Djarin and Grogu from The Mandalorian, we don’t know much about it whatsoever – except for that it will, reportedly, feature Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta.
Some recent rumors have dropped a few other tidbits about the movie, however. Kristian Harloff shared on his YouTube show that he has heard that the bounty hunter Embo will return (once more voiced by Dave Filoni), hunting down Rotta while Djarin and Grogu are hired to protect him. In this, Embo will, according to Harloff, be the big bad of the film.
It should be noted that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt, as with any rumors but especially when they’re not being reported by any of the major trades. For now, rumors are just rumors, and should be treated as such. But this is nonetheless interesting and, to be honest, a bit disconcerting.
Embo was a bounty hunter who first appeared in The Clone Wars, working for various bosses and even, at times, alone (such as when he had to face Anakin Skywalker). He was known for his distinct wide-rimmed hat, which could function not just as a headgear but as a weapon or a sled when needed. He used a bowcaster to hunt his targets, and he was frequently accompanied by his pet anooba, Marrok. By the end of the Clone Wars he was working for Boba Fett as part of his team, but we don’t know what he was up to during the reign of the Empire. We can assume he was still busy bounty hunting, however, because after the Battle of Endor he tried to collect a bounty on rebel hero Lando Calrissian. In a surprise turn, he was soon after began working with the New Republic, alongside other hunters (including Dengar), on select covert missions during the final days of the Civil War. Because of this work he was granted a full pardon for any crimes and given payment, but after a few years the money ran out and Embo retired to Felucia. He was still living there during the sequel trilogy, when another hunter sought him out for information.
It would, admittedly, be interesting to see Embo show up again, especially in live action. He’s a cool character and would be a fun nod to other stories, but I’m skeptical about him serving as the big bad of a story like this. It not only would seem to muddy some of the storytelling waters with what else we know about him, but also I wonder if he could carry the weight of being the main villain of the next Star Wars movie. Most casual moviegoers would have no idea who he is, so they couldn’t really pull the “fan service” card with him either.
Furthermore, the plot of him trying to kidnap Rotta and others trying to protect him isn’t too original. It was close to the same plot of The Clone Wars movie, and the story of a young alien being the subject of warring bounty hunters was already done in The Mandalorian too. To me, a plot line like this would make more sense as an ‘opening mission’ the movie begins on, or something like that. I like Embo and would enjoy seeing him again, but this movie will be a very important one for Star Wars, representing the return to the big screen for the first time in years. I’m just skeptical that the story, as Harloff tells it, would be big enough to warrant that.
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