James Mangold's scrapped Star Wars film about Boba Fett would've been too hardcore for the likes of Baby Yoda to show up in.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mangold explained that his original idea for a Star Wars film was "borderline R-rated" and probably wouldn't fit in with what Disney had planned for the franchise going forward.
"At the point I was doing it I was probably scaring the s**t out of everyone," he said. "I was making much more of a borderline R-rated, single planet spaghetti Western. They probably would never be able to embrace Baby Yoda if I had made that. So it didn’t really belong in the world I was kind of envisioning."
The film, which was in early, conceptual stages of production, was scrapped amid Disney's renewed approach to Star Wars content after Solo: A Star Wars Story disappointed at the box office. Though Mangold was already attached to the project, Disney would instead look towards TV shows like The Mandalorian to lead the franchise.
"In a moment of corporate realignment or whatever happened with the Han Solo movie, they just suddenly decided they weren’t making pictures like that, and the opportunities in streaming presented themselves," Mangold said.
"I was just listening to [spaghetti Western composer] Ennio Morricone all day, all night, and typing away. I’m not sure it ever would have happened. I’m not sure it was in anyone’s plans, what I was thinking."
While Disney has dipped into the darker side of the galaxy far, far away with the likes of Andor, The Mandalorian-led TV shows (that also include The Book of Boba Fett and upcoming Ahsoka series) generally lean towards the more family friendly side of things. Blending that lighter tone with Mangold's vision for an R-rated film seemingly wouldn't have worked.
The director is getting another shot at a Star Wars film though, and this time doesn't have to worry about crossing it over with or connecting it to any other film or TV show.
Taking place thousands of years before Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Mangold's film will tell the story of the dawning of the Force and how Jedi came to be. It'll be one of the next three Star Wars films to be released (in either 2026 or 2027) and was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 alongside one from Dave Filoni and another starring Daisy Ridley from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/scrapped-star-wars-boba-fett-film-wouldve-been-too-hardcore-for-baby-yoda