Baby Yoda heads to big screen in new 'Star Wars' movie

LOS ANGELES: Baby Yoda's next adventure will take the young alien, seen only on a hit "Star Wars" streaming series, to movie theaters.

The first feature film inspired by "The Mandalorian" series will start production this year, Walt Disney's Lucasfilm said. The title character, a helmeted bounty hunter, and his companion, known as Baby Yoda or Grogu, debuted on the Disney+ streaming service in 2019.

Jon Favreau, creator of the series, will direct the movie called "The Mandalorian and Grogu." Disney did not announce a release date. Pedro Pascal, who plays the Mandalorian in the series, is expected to return to the role.

Disney had paused development of new "Star Wars" films and scrapped a few projects as it worked to figure out a new strategy for the franchise, one of its biggest. The last "Star Wars" film, "The Rise of Skywalker," was released in 2019 and took in nearly $1.1 billion at global box offices.