James Mangold is a busy man these days, and his latest project is just two weeks away from premiering. It’s a big one that he directed for Lucasfilm, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is the final chapter in Harrison Ford’s storied career playing the iconic character.
But Mangold was also announced at Celebration this spring as directing an upcoming Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm, set in an era of the Dawn of the Jedi, which will take viewers way back in time in the galaxy to the origins of the Jedi Order. Well, actually, maybe even before that. In a recent interview with io9, Mangold discussed how the project came about – and teased what to expect.
“So when I mentioned to Kathy [Kennedy] the idea that I had about going backward—really far backward—I was surprised that it excited her and the other wonderful people she works with at Lucasfilm,” Mangold said. “For me, it’s about, I want to be part of the saga, but I also don’t want to be holding so much lore in the air that you can hardly tell a story. And what I really wanted to do, what I told her, was just can we make a kind of the Ten Commandments of the Force, you know? A kind of origin story of how the Force came to be known, understood, wielded, and harnessed.”
It will be by far the earliest Star Wars story we’ve been told and an era completely unexplored, which is exciting. The recent Star Wars Timelines book placed the beginning of the Jedi Order circa 25,025 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), meaning it’s a long time before any of the stories we’re familiar with. But the idea of a movie that explores more of the spirituality of the Force and it’s earliest devotees, leading into the formation of the Jedi, is a concept I’m quite excited about.
There’s still no sort of timeline for when Mangold’s movie is coming, but it’s widely believed that Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order film will herald the franchise’s return to the big-screen. Beyond that it seems like Dave Filoni’s Mandalorian film could come next, but Lucasfilm hasn’t tied any of these movies to one of their theatrical slots yet. But the company had a good enough experience with him on Indiana Jones that they’re moving forward with plans for him to work on their other iconic franchise.
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