The Mandalorian has proven to be the crown jewel of Disney’s Star Wars run. The spin-off streaming series has done hyperspace circles around the feature films, so a theatrical debut was always in the cards. Far more surprising is a big screen appearance from Rotta, the baby Hutt who debuted on Cartoon Network’s Clone Wars series, played by The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White of all people. Now Rotta is all grown up. With our first full glance at the warrior Hutt, we can see just how shredded he’s become.
Fresh off playing the prodigal son of New Jersey, White is now playing the spawn of old Jabba. Baby Rotta got the jump on Baby Yoda by ten years, first appearing in The Clone Wars, kidnapped by an uncle as a power play, only to be rescued by some noble Jedi.
While the Hutt are typically layabout slugs, organized criminals with a slimy thumb on the galaxy, Rotta seems to have fallen a ways from the tree. In our first clear look at Rotta’s upcoming appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Rotta’s wielding two battle axes and years of a disciplined gym routine. Also kind of looking like a PlayStation 2 cutscene.
“[Rotta’s] in top form, fighting in the pits, a gladiator of sorts,” director Jon Favreau told Empire. White tells the magazine that he brushed up on his “Huttese,” but to expect this Hutt to have a wider vocabulary than most. In fact, Favreau is going so far as to compare Rotta to Adonis ‘Donnie’ Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, who was played by Micahel B. Jordan in the Rocky reboot trilogy that began in 2015.
is anyone ever going to say anything about this movie that doesn’t make me burst out laughing https://t.co/Q4ujGO3XCS
— Luke (@qLxke_) March 6, 2026
“When you’re trying to establish yourself and your name is famous, when you’re Jabba The Hutt’s kid, what does that do?” Favreau said. “How has that affected his trajectory? I get a kick out of that.”
Disney’s rapidly expanding Star Wars saga has pulled in numerous extended universe characters into the live action fold. Clone Wars characters like gunslinger Cad Bane were the high point of the Boba Fett miniseries. Grand Admiral Thrawn resurfaced from the depths of ‘90s novelizations to be played by Lars Mikkelsen.
Most notably Ahsoka, the Jedi who rescued Rotta in the animated series, has had a significant live-action presence, played by Rosario Dawson across spin-offs, including her own two season series. Talking with Empire, White seems to indicate that Rotta will be hanging around beyond the upcoming Mandalorian film, making fans wonder if he and his Jedi rescuer will reunite.
Oh, and I guess technically Boba Fett first appeared as a cartoon in the Star Wars Christmas special. Anyways, The Mandalorian and Grogu comes out in May with little babies, big babies. All the Star Wars babies and Martin Scorsese.