James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi will have a huge advantage over the other Star Wars movies.

At the moment, the future of Star Wars seems more uncertain than it has in quite some time. This is largely due to the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm haven’t released a feature film set in a galaxy far, far away in over five years. The last time this happened was in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, which concluded the sequel trilogy and the great Skywalker saga. Since then, many films have been in development, but none have made it to the finish line.

One of the most exciting films currently in the works for Lucasfilm James Mangold tentatively titled Dawn of the Jedi. which will explore the origins of the Jedi. The film was first announced nearly two years ago, though Mangold has slowly distanced himself from it behind the scenes. Speaking in an interview with MovieWeb to promote his Bob Dylan biopic The Complete Unknown, the Logan and Walking the Line director offered a little insight into his Star Wars project:

“For me, the really important aspects are the freedom to create something new. Bo and I have been working on the script for Star Wars, and we’ll see what happens (…) finding a way on the page to say something original?”

The “handsome man” Mangold is referring to Bo Willimon, writer of the Emmy-nominated Endor episode, One Way Out. Last year, he was tapped to co-write the film with Mangold. Speaking further on the matter, Mangold explained that what he finds most appealing about developing a Star Wars film is that he won’t be limited by continuity, which he feels is liberating. As he put it:

“The Star Wars movie (which I’m working on) will take place 25,000 years before any known Star Wars movies. It’s an area and a playground that I’ve always (wanted to explore) and that I’ve been inspired by as a teenager, I’m not so interested in being shackled by so much knowledge that it’s almost immobile and you can’t please anyone.”

One of the problems that a lot of Star Wars media has faced in the Disney era is that it has largely existed in the shadow of what came before. People generally love The Mandalorian, for example, but it still works on the fringes of the familiar; namely, it coincides with the timeline of the Skywalker saga when the Empire has been defeated but continues to survive in some form. That’s probably why the show’s ability to tell new stories in a recognizable context The Mandalorian and Grog will be the next Star Wars movie to hit theatersoffering the franchise a somewhat safe return to the big screen.

That’s not to say the property hasn’t tried something to depart from the Skywalker saga before. Disney+’s The Acolyte is set during the High Republic erawhich takes place hundreds of years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. But what Mangold is talking about goes back as much as 25,000 years, which is an incredible amount of time. At this point in Star Wars history, the universe will look very different, making it impossible to make a direct reference to anything familiar in the franchise. In that sense, it would be a completely blank slate.

At the same time, Mangold will get a chance to dissect the origins of the Jedi, making his film instantly familiar in a way even to casual fans. It could also give Lucasfilm a chance to finally do something really fresh. By going back in time, Star Wars can create a bold future. Of course, whether the world will see this film or not is a completely different matter. In recent years, quite a few Star Wars films have fallen apart in pre-production. What’s more, there are several other Star Wars movies moving forward, including a trilogy helmed by Simon Kinberg (Dark Phoenix). To all this, Mangold is a very busy man as he is also set to direct the Swamp Thing movie for DC.

Still, it’s clear that Lucasfilm wants to work with Mangold, especially in this franchise. in the end he was previously going to make a Boba Fett movie before it fell apartso there is clearly a lot of mutual interest. Hopefully, the details will fall into place as the development process progresses.

James Mangold’s Star Wars movie doesn’t have a release date yet, but stay tuned.