MOVIE NEWS – Disney’s next big-screen chapter, The Mandalorian and Grogu, lands on May 22, 2026, and buzz is rampant about returning favorites. But in a chat with MovieWeb, the performer behind one of the saga’s most intimidating antagonists revealed she won’t appear in the film.

The feature continues the title duo’s exploits. The trailer makes clear the New Republic will tap them to confront the resurgence of Imperial warlords, with Johnny Coyne portraying one such commander. Also aboard are Pedro Pascal as Mando and Sigourney Weaver as New Republic Colonel Ward.

Missing from that lineup is Katy O’Brian, known for playing Elia Kane—an officer aligned with the Imperial remnant—in The Mandalorian. Asked in an exclusive MovieWeb interview about a return next summer, O’Brian answered plainly: “I’m not in the movie.”

It’s a blow for fans of the steely operative, though other characters will help fill the gap—including an unexpected twist: Jeremy Allen White will voice Rotta the Hutt. If the name’s hazy, Rotta is Jabba’s son and the plot catalyst of Dave Filoni’s 2008 animated feature The Clone Wars, which set up the series that followed. He’s now grown—and, judging by the trailer, considerably bulked up. Even so, Elia Kane’s absence stands out.

We last saw Kane in Season 3 of The Mandalorian. Though folded into the New Republic’s amnesty program, she continued funneling intel to Moff Gideon, exposing the collaboration between Bo-Katan Kryze’s squad and Din Djarin’s covert. That turn established her as Gideon’s mole while Imperial forces regrouped. Gideon’s message was to keep the mission alive; what happened to her afterward remains unknown.

Before pivoting to a feature film, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau had been laying out a fourth season. Which threads were dropped in the shift from series to cinema may never be clear, but Kane’s storyline meshes with wider villain-centric plans across the franchise—leaving the door open for a future reappearance before the Mandalorian era concludes.

With Ahsoka Season 2 on the horizon—and obvious ties between Grand Admiral Thrawn’s maneuvers and the warlords’ resurgence—O’Brian could still resurface down the line, potentially via crossovers between the Mandalorian and Ahsoka arcs. Notably, she once thought she wouldn’t be back for Season 3 either, assuming Kane had died at the end of Season 2.

Given the Filoni-verse’s playbook, a broader alliance against Thrawn feels likely. After making waves in The Mandalorian Season 3, he’s positioned as the fledgling Republic’s chief threat. Expect more details as Star Wars readies its return to both theaters and streaming.

The Mandalorian and Grogu opens May 22, 2026.

Source: MovieWeb