As rumors of an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie take hold, a new “Star Wars” movie is moving forward. After years in development with an aborted version falling apart with director Josh Trank (“Chronicle”) at the helm and Simon Kinberg as the writer/producer, the “Star Wars” movie starring bounty hunter Boba Fett is back on this time with “Logan” filmmaker James Mangold behind the camera.
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No other details have been revealed. There is mention of Lucasfilm’s Obi-Wan Kenobi movie in development, but that Stephen Daldry in still negotiations to direct and apparently no writers are working on a script as of yet (which undercuts the ongoing rumor that the film begins shooting in spring of 2019.
The trade also makes no mention of Simon Kinberg’s version of the movie and whether they’re at all connected, but Kinberg and Mangold have a relationship from the X-Men “Logan” movie so it’s conceivable there’s some slight crossover. Update: Variety says Simon Kinberg will collaborate with Mangold “although it’s unclear what his role will be.”
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Boba Fett was first seen in “The Empire Strikes Back” as a menacing bounty hunter only to be dispatched rather clumsily in the subsequent film “Return Of The Jedi.” Fett’s origin story as a child was seen in “Attack Of The Clones,” but there’s an entire lifetime that has yet to be explored on film. One could reasonably speculate it could touch upon the “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” era that is set in the criminal underworld of the galaxy far far away.
The Hollywood Reporter says Mangold will also write the stand-alone feature as well. Mangold was nominated for an Academy Award most recently for his screenplay for “Logan” co-written with Scott Frank and Michael Green. News of another “Star Wars” movie written/directed by a white male probably will stoke the criticism about Lucasfilm’s lack of diversity. [THR]