Did you know that Indiana Jones 5 director, James Mangold is said to have been working on a stand-alone ‘Boba Fett’ film before The Mandalorian became a huge hit for Disney+?
The breathtaking Star Wars universe has a story of unrealized potential and lost chances hidden behind the cameras. James Mangold reportedly yearned to revive the celebrated legacy of the famed bounty hunter, Boba Fett, through a thrilling standalone film.
But things didn’t execute as planned and they were shelved after Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s underwhelming box office performance. Moreover, as per a recent interview with the Logan director, the beloved character, ‘Baby Yoda’ would not have fit in his canceled Star Wars movie on Boba Fett.
The 59-year-old director discussed his unfinished Boba Fett film in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. He even explained why it would not have been the best setting for Baby Yoda (or, Grogu), who quickly rose to fame in The Mandalorian.
James Mangold’s Scrapped Project Did Not Include Baby Yoda
James Mangold, a celebrated director, has finally revealed his original concept for Boba Fett’s independent film and offered a captivating insight into his decision to scrap the project. He even discussed how his original Star Wars project, which featured Boba Fett and was on the verge of adult content, may have contributed to the franchise’s first R-rating.
The filmmaker stated on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that his initial concept for the Star Wars movie was “borderline R-rated” and most likely would not fit with what Disney had in mind for the franchise. Also, he reasoned his decision not to include Baby Yoda in the project. To quote him:
“At the point, I was doing it, I was probably scaring the s— out of everyone, but I was probably making much more of a borderline rated R, single-planet, spaghetti western. The world would never be able to embrace Baby Yoda if I had made that, because he didn’t really belong in the world I was kind of envisioning.”
For the unversed, the development of this unfinished movie was put on hold after Solo: A Star Wars Story was released in 2018. Mangold claimed that the studio shifted its attention away from projects like his Boba Fett movie and toward the opportunities offered by streaming services.
The Wolverine filmmaker then called the time he spent penning the script of this Star Wars film a “beautiful period” in his life.
“But I’m not sure it ever would’ve happened. I’m not sure it was in anyone’s plans, what I was thinking about.”
He Discussed The Future of Star Wars Films
James Mangold will still have the chance to direct his own Star Wars movie. It was announced at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration in Europe that his upcoming film will be named, Dawn of the Jedi.
Thus, though his hopes for a spaghetti western about Boba Fett were dashed, he still intends to return to a galaxy in the future. He will helm a future Star Wars movie about the first Jedi to ever use the Force, as he stated earlier this year:
“And yes, to do that, one must travel back in time even further than in the previous trilogies. When I talk[ed] to some of the Star Wars clerics who keep track of all these timelines, I was like, ‘So when would this have happened?’ And they were like, ‘Twenty-five thousand years before episode 1. And I was like, ‘Oh! I was looking for some distance, but that’s distance.’ But I’ll do it!”
The film’s “feeling of space” and separation from earlier installments, he continued, was “really important” to him.
“Not to get away from, again, fan service or the intricacies of what George [Lucas] had set up or dreamed of, but to just have the space to tell a story and not be instantly encumbered with the bases you have to hit.”
Well, meanwhile, you can watch his latest Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny, which is currently showing in theaters.
Source- Happy Sad Confused Podcast
