Star Wars fans have an important decision to make: just how deep into this world do they want to dive? Should they stop at the rapidly multiplying movies, or delve a little further, exploring the novels—which are no longer official Star Wars canon—the comics, the TV shows, and maybe even the fan fiction?
The question has become increasingly complicated, especially as the films begin to borrow story lines from some of these sources. And its particularly interesting with regard to the newly confirmed Boba Fett movie, which director James Mangold will apparently write and direct. For fans that have limited their Star Wars consumption to just the films, a Boba Fett story could very well ruin the mystique of a character whose appeal primarily derives from his mystery—but for those who have already dug deeper into the mythology, the film will be a different matter entirely.
Boba Fett is a Mandalorian bounty hunter who first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. He was one of the mercenaries Darth Vader hired to track the Millennium Falcon—a task he completed by the end of the film, catching up with Han Solo and his team on Cloud City. After that, he appeared in Return of the Jedi, where he died an embarrassing death on Tatooine, falling into the Sarlacc Pit during the battle between Luke, Han, and company, and Jabba the Hutt and his cronies. (Boba Fett also appeared in Star Wars Holiday Special, but we do not speak of that.)
Decades later, George Lucass prequels gave him a tragic backstory: Boba was the one unaltered clone of Jango Fett, whom Jango raised as a son. Boba saw his father killed in Attack of the Clones, when he was beheaded in battle by Mace Windu. For movie-only fans, the story ends there—but for those who have read the books or watched the animated series The Clone Wars, theres much more to it.
It cant be overstated how rabid fan love for Boba Fett can be, even for those who have only seen the films. Maybe it was a triumph of character design—with his helmet and jetpack, Boba did look really cool, especially in action-figure form—or his gravelly voice; either way, the bounty hunter has long inspired fans undying fascination, even though he has only four lines in Empire and doesnt speak at all in Return of the Jedi. (Unless you count the wail he lets out as he careens into the Sarlacc Pit.) When Boba Fetts voice was changed in the 2004 original trilogy remaster, Boba fans noticed—and they were not happy.
Those who have explored Bobas story outside the films know that according to official Star Wars lore, the bounty hunter (spoiler alert) vowed to avenge his father, a task in which he ultimately failed and appeared in multiple arcs in The Clone Wars. For everyone else, though, his life between Attack of the Clones and The Empire Strikes Back remains a mystery. Could the character to screen ruin the mystique for those of us who prefer some questions left unanswered? Perhaps.
The good news, however, is that Disney and Lucasfilm appear to have chosen just the right director for the job: Mangold, most famous recently for directing Logan.
As X-Men fans know, Mangold pulled off something really special with that film, balancing laugh-out-loud comedic moments with deeply emotional interludes and producing an X-Men project that struck a tone never seen in the franchise before. For Boba Fetts story, that deftness will certainly come in handy. His backstory will demand someone who can bring genuine emotion to screen, but as with any Star Wars project, the punch lines will need to land as well. Plus, as we saw in Logan, Mangold excels at creating an off-kilter spirit of adventure—a quality all Star Wars films need, but that, as weve seen from some recent director swaps in the franchise, can be a difficult balance to achieve.
As for which part of Boba Fetts journey we might realize, there may be a clue in Solo, which just hit theaters. Theres another very minor character from the original trilogy who gets a brief passing mention in the film: Bossk, another one of the mercenaries Darth Vader hired to track the Falcon. As those who have explored Boba Fetts story further know, Boba and Bossk actually go way back themselves. In fact, in The Clone Wars, Bossk teamed up with Boba Fett to help him try and kill Mace Windu.
Whether or not that will factor into a Boba Fett film obviously remains to be seen—and more broadly, of course, its worth waiting a tick before deciding officially whether we have a bad feeling about his movie. But given Boba Fetts undying popularity, Lucasfilm will definitely want to tread carefully.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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