Sigourney Weaver Says Star Wars Is More Interesting Now That It Ditched the End-All Mindset

Sigourney Weaver is jumping from Alien and Avatar to a galaxy far, far away. She did not go hunting for another massive franchise, but The Mandalorian and Grogu hooked her anyway — mostly because of the script and, yes, the little green scene-stealer himself.

Why she said yes (and what she thinks Star Wars is doing right)

Weaver told Empire that she follows one thing above all when she signs on: the pages.

"That's my compass."

She also admitted she never pictured herself joining Star Wars or chasing what would be, as she put it, a fourth huge franchise on her resume. What changed her mind was how Lucasfilm is approaching this era: not trying to make a single, all-caps definitive Star Wars, but letting the universe breathe and telling strong, contained stories inside it. Frankly, that tracks — it's where this world tends to shine.

Who she plays

Weaver is Colonel Ward, the no-nonsense leader of the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers and a former Rebel Alliance pilot. If the name rings a bell, she flashed by for a moment in the first trailer that dropped in September.

Favreau's tweak and Weaver's quick homework

According to Weaver, Jon Favreau wanted a tough authority figure at the center of this corner of the story, and decided to make that character a woman — she even suspects the role wasn't originally written that way. Weaver also laughed that she arrived without deep Star Wars knowledge. Favreau suggested she catch up by watching the series, which led to her very honest, very relatable response: wait, there's a series?

The cast: familiar helmet, unexpected Hutt

Pedro Pascal is back under the bucket as Din Djarin. And then there's the curveball: The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is playing Rotta the Hutt — as in Jabba's kid. Did not have that one on my bingo card, but here we are.

Grogu was the clincher

Weaver told GamesRadar+ that the real lure was sharing the screen with the internet's favorite Force-sensitive toddler-turned-padawan.

"I get to have scenes with a little Grogu which is probably why I did the movie. And he's a little badass too."

She adds that in the film, Grogu's a bit older and capable of more than you might expect if you only know him from the show.

The setup

Here's the gist of the story they're telling: the Empire is gone, but scattered Imperial warlords are still causing trouble. The New Republic, still finding its feet, taps the Mandalorian and his tiny apprentice to help safeguard everything the Rebellion fought to win.

Release date

The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters on May 22, 2026.