Of the many potential Star Wars projects brewing at Lucasfilm, arguably the most promising is James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi. Set 25,000 years in the past, it was to center on the origins of the Jedi Order. Updates on it have been sporadic, though, followed by a recent update by Kathleen Kennedy that said Mangold and co-writer Beau Willimon had produced a script that is “incredible” and “breaking the mold”, but she also added the film is “on hold” and “definitely on the back burner.”
Well, now Jeff Sneider on The Hot Mic is saying that he’s heard Mangold’s film is “dead.” He added, “I can’t say that conclusively, but it doesn’t sound good. I think Mangold is focused on that Timothée Chalamet heist movie is what I think. I think “Swamp Thing” could be after that.”
If true, that is incredibly disappointing. Mangold is one of the most reliable filmmakers around, with a deep knowledge of the pop culture space. He’s the same guy who directed The Wolverine, Logan, as well as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He managed to do that while also delivering critically acclaimed, box office hits such as Ford v Ferrari and A Complete Unknown.
It sounds as if Mangold’s crime flick High Side with Chalamet is his chief priority, with a shoot date possibly this year.
