At the moment, the future of “Star Wars” feels more up in the air than it has in quite some time. Much of that has to do with the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm haven’t released a feature film set in a galaxy far, far away on the silver screen in more than five years. The last time it happened was “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, which rounded out the sequel trilogy and the greater Skywalker Saga with it. Since then, many movies have entered development, with none making it to the finish line.
One of the most fascinating movies currently in the works at Lucasfilm is James Mangold’s tentatively titled “Dawn of the Jedi.” which will explore the origins of the Jedi. The film was first announced nearly two years ago, although Mangold has been slowly plugging away at it behind the scenes. Speaking in an interview with MovieWeb to promote his Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the “Logan” and “Walk the Line” director offered a bit of an update on his “Star Wars” project:
“To me, the really important aspects are the freedom to make something new. “Beau and I, in relation to ‘Star Wars,’ have been working on a script, and we’ll see what happens […] Do we find a way on the page to say something original?”
The “Beau” Mangold is referring to is Beau Willimon, who wrote the Emmy-nominated “Andor” episode “One Way Out.” He was brought on board to co-write the film with Mangold last year. Speaking further on the matter, Mangold explained that the thing he finds most appealing about his developing “Star Wars” movie is that he won’t be constrained by continuity, which he finds freeing. As he put it:
“The ‘Star Wars’ movie [I’m working on] would be taking place 25,000 years before any known ‘Star Wars’ movies takes place. It’s an area and a playground that I’ve always [wanted to explore] and that I was inspired by as a teenager. I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable, and you can’t please anybody.”
Star Wars can forge a new future using the distant past
One of the problems that a lot of “Star Wars” media in the Disney era has faced is that it very much exists in the shadow of what came before. People generally love “The Mandalorian,” for example, but it’s still operating in the margins of what is familiar; namely, it overlaps with the timeline of the Skywalker Saga at a point when the Empire has been defeated yet continues to survive in some form. The show’s ability to tell new stories in a recognizable context is probably why “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will be the next “Star Wars” movie to reach theaters, offering the franchise a somewhat safe return to the big screen.
That’s not to say the property hasn’t attempted anything far away from the Skywalker Saga before. The Disney+ series “The Acolyte” took place during the High Republic era, which is set hundreds of years before the events of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” But what Mangold is talking about is going back a full 25,000 years, which is an unfathomable amount of time. At that point in “Star Wars” history, the universe will look very different, so much so it will make it impossible for the film to directly reference anything familiar in the franchise. It would, in that sense, be a totally clean slate.
At the same time, Mangold will have the benefit of being able to break down the origins of the Jedi, which will make his movie instantly familiar in some sense to even casual fans. It could also offer Lucasfilm the chance to finally do something truly fresh. By heading into the distant past, “Star Wars” might be able to forge a bold future. Of course, whether or not this film sees the light of day is another matter entirely. In recent years, quite a few “Star Wars” movies have fallen apart in pre-production. Moreover, there are several other “Star Wars” films moving forward right now as well, including a trilogy spearheaded by Simon Kinberg (“Dark Phoenix”). On top of all that, Mangold is a very busy man, as he’s also set to direct a “Swamp Thing” movie for DC.
Still, it’s clear that Lucasfilm wants to work with Mangold, particularly in this franchise. After all, he was previously set to direct a “Boba Fett” movie before it fell apart, so there’s clearly a lot of mutual interest there. Here’s hoping the pieces fall into place as the development process rolls on.
James Mangold’s “Star Wars” movie does not currently have a release date, but stay tuned.