Boba Fett Film Is A Go, Mangold Making Mandalorian Mercenary Movie
Boba Fett is officially getting his own movie! One of the most popular characters in the Star Wars franchise, who literally only appeared for less than a minute in the original series, but went on to become one of the most popular characters among the fans, is the latest to get its own spinoff in the ever-expanding movie franchise.
As THR reports, Disney, via now-Disney-owed Lucasfilm, announced this week that Boba Fett will be joining Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi in getting his own standalone feature film to focus on a singular Star Wars character.
Although not officially confirmed by Disney, James Mangold (Logan) is rumored to be the writer and director. Further, Simon Kinberg (The Martian), is rumored to be co-writing with Mangold.
For those not familiar with Boba Fett, he first appeared in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back as a bounty hunter who delivers Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt, the gangster who wanted Han, dead or alive, over a past debt. He appeared again in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, this time mostly to set up what THR calls a “slapstick death” (falling into the belly of a monster). Total screen time in the original trilogy: about 40 seconds. (This article will not mention the weak and poorly-executed backstory that Lucas tried to give for Boba Fett in 2002’s Attack of the Clones).
The director of Logan is reportedly making a Boba Fett movie https://t.co/vlfCLIFsQ2 pic.twitter.com/iEsGgrJpGb
— The Verge (@verge) May 24, 2018
Despite his limited screen time and the fact that his face was obscured by a mask, Fett became a cult character in the ’80s and ’90s, though he existed only in the world of comic books, novels, merchandise, and other spin-off media until the 2002 prequel (which, again, will not be mentioned here).
The as-yet-untitled Boba Fett movie is the latest entry in Disney’s efforts to revitalize the Star Wars franchise – which, by all account, has been a raging success thus far. In addition to two movies in the main timeline (2015’s The Force Awakens and 2017’s The Last Jedi), there have been two “anthology” movies: 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opens today).
Meanwhile, an Obi-Wan Kenobi anthology movie is also in the works.
Disney has gone all-in on the Star Wars franchise since buying Lucasfilm in 2012. In addition to the main storyline movies, the anthology movies, and mountains of related merchandise, the House of the Mouse also plans to release Star Wars content on its streaming service. Meanwhile, Star Wars-themed “lands” and attractions are coming to Disney theme parks, and a Star Wars-themed resort is currently in the works at Florida’s Walt Disney World theme park.
