The Bear's Jeremy Allen White cast as Jabba the Hutt's son in Mandalorian movie

It wouldn't be hard to imagine White slipping into a Han Solo-style roguish mercenary role in the Star Wars universe, but that's not what writer-director Jon Favreau has in mind (according to The Hollywood Reporter).

Rather, White will be voicing Rotta the Hutt, the son of monstrous slug crime lord Jabba the Hutt, who was last seen as a baby in the 2008 film Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The plot of that critically panned animated chapter saw Rotta kidnapped by the separatist leader Count Dooku in a bid to force the Hutts into an alliance, but the infant is ultimately rescued by Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano.

The film served as a precursor to The Clone Wars series, which received progressively better reviews as it went on, with Favreau and Dave Filoni drawing heavily on it for their Disney Plus shows The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.

Nevertheless, Rotta the Hutt – who was nicknamed 'Stinky' by Ahsoka – is one character that few would have expected to see again, although it could well be interesting to explore whether he grew up to be just as cruel and ruthless as his father.

Social media remains somewhat sceptical and rather shocked over the announcement.

White won his second Primetime Emmy Award for The Bear earlier this year, with more nominations expected next year for the show's third season, which dropped over the summer.

The actor also has biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere in the works, where he'll play rock legend Bruce Springsteen during the making of his iconic Nebraska album.

Only time will tell which of these roles will go down in history as his greatest performance – we can only hope that Rotta the Hutt delivers on its absurd potential, if this casting report proves to be true.

The Mandalorian & Grogu will continue the story of the Disney Plus series in a big-screen format, bringing together characters from across Favreau and Filoni's small-screen Star Wars universe.

The Mandalorian & Grogu is coming to cinemas in May 2026.

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