Back in 2015, Lucasfilm almost announced an official Boba Fett movie, complete with teaser trailer.
A digital Boba Fett from Star Wars: Battlefront. Image: EA
It was going to happen at the Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, CA. There, a panel had been scheduled featuring directors Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank and each was going to talk about their upcoming Star Wars standalone movies. However, Trank dropped out of the panel just a few days earlier, and a week after the event, he was removed from his film. (There was never an official reason given for Trank leaving the project, but most believe it had to do with rumoured problems on the set of his Fantastic Four film.)
The panel ended up focusing only on Edwards’ film, which at the time didn’t even have a title. It was in that room where the title Rogue One was first revealed, and a short teaser was shown. That movie is now less than a month away.
A new article from Entertainment Weekly reveals that was the same plan for Trank’s film and that film was going to be about Boba Fett. According to the magazine, “It came so close to being officially announced, Lucasfilm even prepped a teaser reel to show at Star Wars Celebration in spring of 2015, sources tell EW. At the last minute, the split with Trank backburnered the project.”
To anyone who has been following the Star Wars standalone films, this isn’t exactly a surprise. The prevailing rumour has always been Trank’s film was about Boba Fett. But the fact a teaser was made and would have screened is incredibly disappointing.
Here’s the good news. That film is not yet off the table. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW that after the release of Rogue One, she and her company will decide what Star Wars films come after 2019’s Episode IX.
“There are [possible movies] that we have been talking a lot about,” Kennedy told EW. “But we are planning to sit down in January, since we will have had The Force Awakens released, now Rogue One, and we’ve finished shooting Episode VIII. We have enough information where we can step back a little bit and say, What are we doing? What do we feel is exciting? And what are some of the things we want to explore?”
That means it’s not certain that a new Saga trilogy will follow Episode IX. Nor will all the movies have to tie into already known stories.
“That’s a conversation going on right now, too,” Kennedy said. “I have to honestly tell you, could we [do nothing but standalones]? Sure. But I don’t know. We are looking at all of that.”
She continued.
“I think [the idea of new stories] is exciting for fans,” Kennedy adds. “It’s certainly exciting as a filmmaker, the notion that we can explore these stories that genuinely have a beginning, middle and an end, and don’t necessarily have to tie into something specific.”
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens December 15.