James Mangold, who is reveling in the success of “A Complete Unknown,” and which may end up garnering multiple above the line Oscar nominations, is already looking ahead to his next film. And right now, that will probably be his ‘Star Wars’ prequel, “Dawn Of The Jedi.”
Mangold is promising “something original” for the movie, set 25,000 years before the events of ‘Phantom Menace.’ He’s also not interested in tackling any of the “lore” that’s suffocated many of the previous instalments (via Deadline):
To me, the really important aspects are the freedom to make something new […] [Screenwriter] Beau Willimon and I, in relation to “Star Wars,” have been working on a script, and we’ll see what happens […] I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable, and you can’t please anybody
Recently, THR had “House of Cards” creator Willimon hired to write the script for ‘Dawn of the Jedi.’ Furthermore, a listing had the project eyeing a fall shoot. There is currently a mysterious Star Wars movie scheduled for release on December 2027. Lucasfilm/Disney have not given us any details as to what it might be, but my best guess is that it’s either Shawn Levy or Mangold’s franchise projects.
‘Dawn of The Jedi’ will explore the origins of the Jedi, before any of the Star Wars movies, taking place in the earliest era of the franchise. It’s an interesting concept, and if done right, could result in an interesting story to tell.
Of course, given that Lucasfilm is notorious for constantly shuffling around their “Star Wars” projects, Mangold’s film runs the risk of hitting a few speed bumps, and there’s an off chance he ends up making his DCU movie, “Swamp Thing,” instead.
For now, let’s allow Mangold the time to soak up all the awards love “A Complete Unknown” has been getting. Yesterday, he even nabbed his first DGA nod. Hollywood loves him. He’s one of the go-to “hired hands” in the industry. A decently talented filmmaker who doesn’t mind adhering to the creative control that studios enforce upon him.
Mangold’s hit-and-miss filmography notably includes “Ford V Ferrari,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Logan,” “Walk the Line,” “Copland,” “Identity,” and “Girl, Interrupted.”