With tickets now on sale for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disney and Lucasfilm have finally started pulling out all the stops to build excitement for the first Star Wars movie in nearly seven years.
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, a promo advertising a new look at The Mandalorian and Grogu aired during last night's WrestleMania 41 on ESPN, revealing Jeremy Allen White's Rotta the Hutt in all his ripped glory.
We also get to hear a brief snippet of his voice as Rotta celebrates another victory in the arena.
While Din Djarin and Grogu made an appearance in the WrestleMania crowd in Las Vegas, the preview that followed was just a shortened version of the trailer that debuted at CinemaCon. However, the promo advertising it did include never-before-seen footage, including the muscular Hutt.
Rotta was first introduced as a pint-sized infant in The Clone Wars. Jabba's son has clearly done a lot of growing up since then, and filmmaker Jon Favreau previously said that, when we find him here, "[Rotta’s] in top form, fighting in the pits, a gladiator of sorts."
Jabba didn't speak "Basic" when he appeared on screen, but with White lending his voice to Rotta, Favreau confirmed that he'll primarily speak English. He added, "When you’re trying to establish yourself and your name is famous, when you’re Jabba the Hutt’s kid, what does that do? How has that affected his trajectory? I get a kick out of that."
The Mandalorian creator likened Rotta to Adonis "Donnie" Creed in the Creed movies, and White—whose voice has been modulated in post-production—explained that in the recording booth, his focus was on finding the right tone for the Hutt's voice.
"My speaking voice changes [as Rotta]. It was helpful, of course, to listen to Jabba," the actor said, promising that he speaks "a little bit of Huttese" in the next Star Wars movie.
In The Mandalorian and Grogu, the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu.
Directed by Jon Favreau, the movie also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White. It's produced by Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, and Ian Bryce, with music composed by Ludwig Göransson.
The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters on May 22.