James Mangold Reveals Grogu’s Exclusion From His Darker, R-Rated Star Wars Vision

Director James Mangold recently shared details about his scrapped Star Wars movie, revealing that the popular character Grogu would not have been included in his original vision. During a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mangold discussed his initial pitch for the Boba Fett film, which he described as a darker, borderline rated R, single-planet spaghetti western.

“The world would never be able to embrace Baby Yoda if I had made that because he didn’t really belong in the world I was kind of envisioning,” Mangold said (via Entertainment Weekly).

The movie’s progress came to a halt due to a corporate realignment within Lucasfilm following the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. Mangold stated that the studio shifted its focus away from films like his Boba Fett project and toward the opportunities presented by streaming platforms.

Reflecting on his time writing the Star Wars script, Mangold described it as a “beautiful period” in his life, where he immersed himself in the work while listening to Ennio Morricone’s music. “But I’m not sure it ever would’ve happened,” Mangold said. “I’m not sure it was in anyone’s plans, what I was thinking about.”

While his Boba Fett project didn’t come to fruition, Mangold has another opportunity to contribute to the Star Wars universe. He is set to direct an upcoming Star Wars film centered around the first Jedi to wield the Force, which takes place 25,000 years before Episode 1 and the Skywalker Saga. Mangold emphasized the importance of creating a “feeling of space” and separation from previous installments, allowing the storytelling to take precedence without being bound by pre-established elements.

Mangold’s newest movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is set to premiere on June 30. Despite lower ratings than past Indy films, the finale is setting sights on a strong opening weekend and global earnings.