Star Wars’ Upcoming Jedi Origin Movie Gets Intriguing Update From Writer & Director James Mangold After Months Of Silence

Upcoming Star Wars director James Mangold provides a long-awaited update to his Dawn of the Jedi origin movie following several months of silence on its development. Following his work on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the director was confirmed to be directing one of three upcoming movies announced during Star Wars Celebration London in 2023 alongside Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Dave Filoni’s respective projects. Set 250,000 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the Dawn of the Jedi movie will explore the origins of the Jedi Order and their study of the mysterious Force.

As Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown is set to hit theaters, the director sat down with Deadline and opened up about his other upcoming projects. During the discussion, he addressed Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi’s current status, revealing that he was still early in the writing process with co-writer Beau Willimon:

My partner and I have been writing it.

Furthermore, with the script so early in development, Mangold stated he was unaware of what the next stage of development would hold, as both he and Willimon were devoting their focus to completing the draft above all else:

I don’t know what’s next because we haven’t gotten to the end of that process, we’re trying to finish a draft.

The Franchise’s Return To The Big Screen Hasn’t Been Without Difficulty

At the time of writing, Lucasfilm and Disney’s priorities with the Star Wars franchise are in a state of flux. While its television output has been a priority since 2019, it is clear that the company is divesting from television to focus on theatrical releases, with projects including Donald Glover’s Lando series being reworked into a movie. Despite this noticeable trend, Star Wars‘ big-screen future remains hard to determine.

The franchise’s next adventure on the big screen, The Mandalorian and Grogu, recently wrapped filming, and is seemingly set to meet its 2026 release date. However, work on Filoni’s New Republic saga finale movie is presumably still some ways off, and while Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order movie has received several drafts since its announcement, a search for a new writer is underway as Lucasfilm is reported to be centering Rey (Daisy Ridley) as a key player in several projects. When compared to the reported status of previous projects, it is likely the Dawn of the Jedi movie may be set to release following the New Jedi Order feature, should it finalize its story soon.

Our Take On James Mangold’s Dawn Of The Jedi

Mangold Has Been Working On Several Projects

While it has been over a year since its announcement, Mangold has had several projects to juggle alongside his Dawn of the Jedi movie, including A Complete Unknown and his Swamp Thing movie. As such, it is unsurprising that the feature is still early in its development when compared to other movies, but it is clear that Mangold has been devoting time to the project actively nevertheless.

Related

Everything Star Wars Has Revealed About The Jedi Origin In Canon

Star Wars’ upcoming movie will reveal the true origin of the Jedi Order… and here’s everything that’s been revealed in canon to date!

Furthermore, it is undeniable that Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi movie brings its own challenges, as it has the task of setting out an origin for the Jedi in a largely unexplored period of the Star Wars universe, meaning Mangold both has the freedom and duty to lay the foundations for what will come next. While this may be beneficial for Mangold’s filmmaking style as he can focus on original characters rather than adding to an already-established figure, it also means he is creating an unexplored landscape that will rely on his worldbuilding, alongside potential critiques and additions made by Lucasfilm’s story group. As such, it may still be some time until Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi moves into the next stage of production.

Source: Deadline

Announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is a prequel focusing on the first-ever Jedi. Taking place 25,000 before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Dawn of the Jedi will explore the events set prior to the Old Republic and the Disney+ series, The Acolyte. 

Expand