Yahoo Movies What we know about Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi
The film will take place 25,000 years before Episode I: The Phantom Menace
At Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced three new films to take place in a galaxy far, far away including one directed by James Mangold.
Another is to be helmed by Lucasfilm stalwart Dave Filoni, acting as the culmination of the Mando-verse. While the third sees Daisy Ridley returning to the franchise as Rey Skywalker as she attempts to build a New Jedi Order and will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director Mangold will direct a film looking at the origins of the Force, an entirely new chapter of Star Wars canon. With very few details actually revealed at the Lucasfilm panel however, fans naturally have a lot of questions. What will the film actually look like? Who is in it? When might we see it?
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Here's everything you need to know about James Mangold’s Star Wars movie.
When will James Mangold's Star Wars movie be released?
There is currently no set release date for James Mangold's Star Wars movie.
It’s probably a safe bet that both Dave Filoni’s climactic Mando-verse film, along with the Daisy Ridley-led New Jedi Order film, both get big screen releases before Mangold’s project.
Mangold is gearing up to release Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny over summer 2023, and is set to tackle his long-awaited Timothée Chalamet-fronted Bob Dylan biopic for Paramount next.
What is the plot of James Mangold's Star Wars movie?
After the announcement, Mangold elaborated that the film would tackle “the discovery of the Force”. Kathleen Kennedy also stated that the film is looking to explore “the first Jedi to wield the force”.
In a conversation with Empire at Star Wars Celebration, Mangold elaborated further on the as-of-yet untitled project. He said, “It takes place 25,00 years before Episode IV: A New Hope, and it’s about the discovery of the Force.
“I told Kathy [Kennedy] I wanted to make a kind of Bible movie, a kind of Ten Commandments of Star Wars – kind of a Cecil B DeMille film about the arrival of the Force, and that’s what I’ve been pecking away at between press events. That’s the idea.”
Mangold would go on to say, “It’s a movie that both connects to the worlds we know but is also far enough away from it that I think there’s a lot of opportunities to tell a story freely, also... and not be so incredibly tied in by the knots and different story strands that are already in place.”
We do know however, that this period of time will be an entirely new exploration point within Star Wars canon. The only related material is the novel Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, which is now classified as part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and therefore, not canon.
The novel is set 25,000 years before Episode IV: A New Hope and tells the story of the ancient Je’daii Order and one of their Rangers, Lanoree Brock, as she tracks down her long lost brother to prevent a cataclysmic galactic event.
Read more: Everything we know about Daisy Ridley's return as Rey
It is unknown at this time if Mangold and Lucasfilm will look to adapt this story into the new canon, or whether they are looking to craft their own original story.
Who will star in James Mangold's Star Wars movie?
With the film so far out, and so little known about the project itself, there is no confirmed cast members as of yet. As with almost all Star Wars films however, it is likely that we can expect a strong ensemble cast.
Who is James Mangold?
James Mangold is one of Hollywood’s most successful directors, and one of the few who has bridged the gap between IP blockbusters and prestige dramas. He is perhaps best known for his work directing Logan and The Wolverine, as well as classics such as Le Mans '66, Cop Land and Walk the Line.
Read more: Why Solo: A Star Wars Story was the franchise's first failure
Most recently, Mangold has directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (also produced by Lucasfilm), which releases on 30 June worldwide. He has also been tapped to direct Swamp Thing as part of the newly-imagined DC Universe, headed up by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director, James Gunn.
This is not the director's first brush with Star Wars though. In 2018 it was revealed that he would be directing a standalone Boba Fett movie, based on a script by Simon Kinberg. The Fett movie would have been the third 'Star Wars Story' film following Rogue One and Solo, but the latter's box office failure sent Lucasfilm back to the drawing board. Boba Fett later got his own series on Disney+.
Is there a trailer?
Not yet. With the film so far out, no trailers or teasers were dropped at Star Wars Celebration. The convention did however give fans an exclusive sneak peek at a teaser for the upcoming Disney+ show The Acolyte, as well as the world premiere of the Ahsoka trailer.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is in development
