Although the Legends continuity of Star Wars brought back Boba Fett post-Return of the Jedi, it wasn’t until The Mandalorian Season 2 started airing that it was confirmed in the official Star Wars canon that the bounty hunter survived his encounter with the Sarlacc. Temuera Morrison finally got to play the character in live-action nearly two decades after playing Jango Fett and the clone troopers in the Prequel Trilogy era of the Star Wars movies in order, and following Season 2’s conclusion, he led the spinoff The Book of Boba Fett. Unfortunately for fans of Boba, myself included, word’s come in that we shouldn’t expect to see him resurface in 2026’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, one of the many upcoming Star Wars movies.
Morrison shared this information while speaking with ScreenRant at FAN EXPO Chicago during the “From Clone Troopers to Bounty Hunters” panel. In his words:
I'm still waiting for a phone call to be quite honest. I think we're just put on the shelf for a little bit. Maybe we come off the shelf later.
The Mandalorian & Grogu began filming in July, so for those of you who read Temuera Morrison’s statement and were hoping Boba Fett could still be added into the script, that’s not going to happen. It’s a shame this is the case because Boba and Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin made an effective team. Although their relationship got off to a rocky start, Boba aided Din in rescuing Grogu from Moff Gideon in Season 2’s final episodes. Then in The Book of Boba Fett, Boba requested Din’s assistance in helping him and Fennec Shand battle the Pike Syndicate on Tatooine. It would have been great to see these two join forces for a third time on the big screen, but sadly, it’s not in the cards.
While it’s possible that Boba Fett’s absence in The Mandalorian is simply because writers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau (who’s also directing) don’t require him for the story they’re telling, I can’t help but wonder if The Book of Boba Fett’s underwhelming performance may have factored into this decision. Our Star Wars TV shows ranking has it in last place, and on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 66% Tomatometer and 49% Audience Score. Temuera Morrison’s mention of his character being on “the shelf” could indicate that Disney and Lucasfilm would rather not draw attention to Boba, at least for now.
Let’s hope that Morrison prediction that Boba Fett could come off the shelf later is accurate. Even if The Book of Boba Fett didn’t end up being as good as many people hoped, that doesn’t mean its titular protagonist shouldn’t ever be utilized in live-action again. Boba has been one of Star Wars’ most popular characters since The Empire Strikes Back was released on 1980 (The less said about Boba’s debut in The Star Wars Holiday Special, the better), so he deserves a second chance to shine on screen again. My fingers are crossed that he takes part in Dave Filoni’s New Republic movie.
You can stream The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian and all the other Star Wars shows with a Disney+ subscription, and the next one, Skeleton Crew, premieres December 3 on the 2024 TV schedule. The Mandalorian & Grogu opens in theaters on May 22, 2026.
