Jonny Coyne's Imperial Warlord Returning in Next Star Wars Movie, Big Hint About Mandalorian and Grogu's Plot

A familiar face has been added to The Mandalorian and Grogu cast with the addition of Jonny Coyne. In The Mandalorian In Season 3, Coyne played an Imperial warlord who was a member of the Shadow Council that included Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Despite defeating Moff Gideon and recovering Mandalore, Din Djarin and Grogu will still need to face the ongoing threats posed by the Shadow Council and the Imperial Remnant in The Mandalorian and Groguthe story.

Deadline confirmed that Coyne is reprising his role as an imperial warlord in The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film's growing cast includes Pedro Pascal continuing to play Din alongside Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, along with Sigourney Weaver in a currently undisclosed role, and Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt, a character introduced in the 2008 animated film. Star Wars: The Clone Wars film. The Mandalorian and Grogu is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 22, 2026.

What this means for The Mandalorian and Grogu

Jonny Coyne's Imperial Warlord Could Be Similar to a Character From Legends

In addition to adding a familiar villain to the The Mandalorian and GroguIn the cast, the addition of Coyne has greater implications for the story. During the Shadow Council scene in The Mandalorian In season three, Coyne's character argues against Captain Gilad Pellaeon (Xander Berkeley) advising caution and insists that “There's a fortune plundering the hyperspace lanes.” Given this character's fixation on the fortune he can make, and the Imperial Remnant's confirmed connection to pirates in The Mandalorian season 3, Coyne's Imperial Warlord Could Be Similar to Legends' Zsinj Warlord.

Zsinj was a former Imperial admiral who became a warlord and pursued his own plans after the fall of the Empire. The Shadow Council scene already showed Coyne's imperial warlord character disagreeing with Pellaeon's direction. The Mandalorian and Grogu I could see him completely breaking away from the Shadow Council and work more closely with pirates, including those among Skeleton Crew characters, to continue acquiring the fortune he was previously earning from his hit-and-run attacks on the hyperspace lanes.

Our Take on Star Wars' Mysterious Imperial Warlord

He could be an effective villain for The Mandalorian and Grogu

Even though Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) returned to the known galaxy at the end of Ahsoka season 1, he's probably being saved for Ahsoka Season 2 and other stories later in the Mandoverse. Coyne's imperial warlord character being similar to Zsinj from Legends would make him a formidable enemy for Din and Grogu to face and was created by The Mandalorian 3rd season and Skeleton Crew. Whether he is the secondary or primary antagonist, he is a suitable villain for The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Source: Deadline