Remember all of those stories about potential Star Wars spinoff movies that would arrive in theaters every other year, breaking up the pattern of films from the new trilogy J.J. Abrams is launching and possibly giving time on screen to individual Star Wars characters who deserve their own films? Well, one of them might be closer to fruition that you imagined.
Boba Fett reportedly is going to be the first Star Wars character to get his own film, and it will be one based on a screenplay treatment handed in by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. Television producer Jon Schnepp made this bold statement during a 24-hour movie podcast staged by the usually reliable AMC Movie Talk. But he made it so casually and off the cuff, that it’s hard to take him seriously. "I know for a fact," he says. "I will never reveal my source, but it is the one written by Lawrence Kasdan."
Listen for yourself. The conversation starts around the 3-minute mark.
They dive into this because a listener wondered if there would be any announcements regarding a spinoff Star Wars movie this year, and as the AMC guys point out, this movie would be expected in theaters in 2016, so announcements on the topic, director and casting should hit this year. It makes sense. Only no one at LucasFilm has come out and said that this is happening. Then again, they don’t say much.
Until this is confirmed, treat it as rumor… but one that has some weight. Kasdan has been in the fold ever since this new wave of Star Wars films got underway. And the spin-off movie talk has involved Han Solo, Yoda and Boba Fett practically from Day One. Does that make this news true? Not yet, but Schnepp isn’t spewing nonsense, and news of the spin-off movies should be coming out soon now that Episode VII has a release date.
Boba Fett certainly strikes us as one of the Star Wars characters one easily could construct a movie (or series of movies) around. Fans always felt shortchanged by the brief amount of time they got with the bounty hunter in the original Star Wars films. And as a masked-and-silent assassin, recasting him would be simple. Or, at least, a hell of a lot easier than it would be to find a new Han Solo for a spin-off, prequel or standalone sequel.
So stay tuned, Star Wars fans. A Boba Fett movie could be in your future, as early as 2016. Given the way that LucasFilm doles out information, we might not get actual confirmation until NEXT January. But wheels appear to be turning.
