The never-announced Boba Fett spin-off movie isn't happening, it seems
Boba Fett won't be getting an adventure of his own after all, or at least not anytime soon.
The famed Star Wars bounty hunter had been pegged for a spin-off movie of his own back in May, but it's not happening anymore. That buzzy upcoming TV series The Mandalorian (among other things) seems to have put it to rest.
The Boba Fett movie wasn't ever officially announced, and its technically-informal cancellation also comes to us via shadowy sources. Variety reported on Friday that Lucasfilm is no longer working on the project, and Disney/Lucasfilm had no comment.
Let this be a lesson to all of us for future movie rumors: In 👏 development 👏 doesn't 👏 mean 👏 a thing 👏 is happening 👏.
In the original report, the Boba Fett film was meant to fall under the banner of "A Star Wars Story" anthology movies like Rogue One and Solo. James Mangold, whose credits include The Wolverine and Logan, had reportedly been tapped to write and direct.
That news broke, again thanks to unnamed sources, right around the time Solo hit theaters. As much as The Mandalorian -- a show whose title is a reference to Fett's cultural background (he's a Mandalorian) -- may have influenced the decision to skip the spinoff, Solo's box office failure reportedly prompted Disney to dial back some of its ambitious Star Wars plans.
The Mandalorian doesn't focus directly on Fett. It's set during the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, focusing on, per the official description, "a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic."
Fett seemed to die in Return of the Jedi, an ignominious death in which a malfunctioning jetpack plunged him straight into the mouth of the Sarlacc Pit. But there's some suggestion in Chuck Wendig's canonical book Star Wars: Aftermath that the bounty hunter (or perhaps just his armor) made it out.
Whatever the truth is, The Mandalorian could be a great platform for bringing back the fan-favorite bounty hunter. His familiar face(mask) -- or even just the impact of his legacy -- could help foster interest in the show.
Of course, remember to take in all of this with the appropriate amount of doubt. May's report was noteworthy given the timing and the source of the news -- The Hollywood Reporter. This new report from Variety, an equally trustworthy source of insider Hollywood news, is also worth acknowledging.
But none of this was ever confirmed. Even if both outlets are citing legitimate sources, there's no telling how much of the story we're not hearing.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
