Boba Fett Will Be the Star of the Second ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff Film
May the 4th is known throughout the galaxy as Star Wars Day. So it’s the perfect time for this major bit of news, via TheWrap: The second Star Wars “Anthology” film (aka the spinoff films separate from the new trilogy that begins with Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will be an “origin story” for Boba Fett.
The film, which is due in 2018, was supposed to be directed by Josh Trank, at least until Trank either left the project to “pursue some original creative opportunities” or was dismissed from the film because producer Simon Kinberg, who worked with Trank on the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, didn’t want to collaborate with him again. Either way, the film is currently director-less but not, according to TheWrap, subjectless; it will follow the early days of the universe’s most beloved and amoral bounty hunter.
I could have sworn the Star Wars prequels told the origin story of Boba Fett, where he was shown as a young boy, idolizing his father, Jango Fett, who was an infamous bounty hunter in his own right. Presumably, the new version would feature less Lil’ Boba and more badass Boba stirring up trouble for the Rebel Alliance (and maybe the Empire too, who knows). It’ll be interesting to see how much of that origin from the prequels remains in place, and how much of it the new film either ignores or retcons completely.
The issue with this film (and with the prequels that tried to tell this backstory) is that Boba Fett’s entire character is defined by mystery. When you spill the secrets behind that cool mystique, you often erase that cool mystique with them. Rebuilding the character’s image while revealing his history will be a delicate balancing act for whatever filmmaker replaces Josh Trank. The second Star Wars Anthology film is currently scheduled for release in May of 2018.