It appears that theBoba Fettmovieisn’t happening after all. When it was first announced that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and newStar Warsmovies were being planned, it was reported that a spinoff focusing on the Boba Fett character was one of the many non-Episode films in development. That project was finally confirmed this past May when it was reported thatJames Mangoldwould write and direct the Boba Fett movie. This news just so happened to break literally one day beforeSolo: A Star Wars Storyopened in theaters, a film that wasn’t tracking so hot for its opening weekend.
While the Boba Fett movie may very well have been in development, the timing of the announcement seemed curious—sometimes studios will break news about future sequels or spinoffs so audiences feel obligated to see whatever film precedes them, which in this case wasSolo. But regardless of whether that leak was calculated or not,Collider exclusively broke the newsthis past June that futureA Star Wars Storyspinoffs—including the Boba Fett movie—were on hold as Lucasfilm readjusted following the disappointing box office performance ofSolo.
Plenty were skeptical, but now Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedyhas reportedly confirmed as much. ReporterErick Weberwas attending a special screening ofBlack Pantherlast night (no doubt as part of Disney’s Oscar campaign for the film), and he says Kennedy confirmed to him that the Boba Fett movie is dead (viaThe Playlist):
This is directly in line with what we reported this summer. WhileSolo’s worldwide box office total of $339 million is nothing to scoff at, it’s a mere fraction of what every otherStar Warsfilm in the Disney era made.The Force Awakens,Rogue One, andThe Last Jediall cracked $1 billion, so $339 million comparatively is kind of disastrous—especially for a film about the most beloved character in the franchise.
And honestly, good on Lucasfilm for taking a beat and ensuring they forge ahead on the right path rather than simply continuing on with a plan that clearly had some kinks in it. CreatorJon Favreau’s TV seriesThe Mandalorianpromises to open up an entirely new corner of theStar Warsuniverse on Disney’s streaming service, so it makes sense that they’d want to focus on getting that right while trusted filmmakerJ.J. Abramsis off bringing the trilogy to a close withEpisode IX.
What happens beyond that is anyone’s guess.Rian Johnsonhas been enlisted to create a newStar Warstrilogy focusing on brand new characters, whileGame of ThronesshowrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B. Weissare due to create another newStar Warsfranchise on the big screen. It also looks like thatObi-Wanmovie isn’t happening anymore either. In the wake ofSolo’s disappointment, it sounds like Lucasfilm may finally be looking forward rather than digging into its past. Here’s hoping.
