Tony Gilroy Weighs In On Mangold’s Upcoming Jedi Order Origin Star Wars Movie : “They’re going way back”

A new Star Wars movie is on the way, and it’s set to take fans farther back in time than ever before. Director James Mangold is working on a film allegedly called Jedi Prime, which will explore the very beginning of the Jedi Order and the origins of the Force. The story takes place around 25,000 years before the original Star Wars films, long before any of the characters fans already know.

Lucasfilm first announced the project at Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023. At the time, they said the movie would mark the start of a new era in the Star Wars timeline called Dawn of the Jedi. Mangold said he was inspired by old biblical epics, and even compared his vision to something like The Ten Commandments. He called the film a “Cecil B. DeMille-style biblical epic.”

Mangold started working on the movie while he was still directing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He also began developing it alongside another film project, Swamp Thing for DC. At the time, he said he wasn’t sure which of the two would get made first, since he was also working on a Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.

In April 2024, it was reported that Beau Willimon, one of the writers from Andor, had joined the project as co-writer. Willimon worked on some of the most well-received parts of Andor, including the intense Narkina 5 prison storyline. With him on board, it sounds like Jedi Prime will be more than just a big adventure. It might have strong character moments and serious storytelling too.

In an interview with Empire, Andor creator Tony Gilroy talked about the freedom this movie could have. Since the story is set so far in the past, it won’t be tied to the Skywalker saga or any of the other major characters from the rest of the franchise. Gilroy said, “They’re going way back. That’s kind of interesting, because it’s free.”

This distance from the usual Star Wars timeline gives the filmmakers room to build something new without worrying about fitting into the usual timeline. It’s a fresh start that could open the door to a whole new kind of Star Wars story.

The movie’s title, Jedi Prime, was mentioned by producer Simon Emanuel in a May 2024 interview. While nothing has been officially confirmed yet, that seems to be what they’re going with.

There’s no release date yet, but with the team behind it and the bold setting, Jedi Prime is shaping up to be a very different kind of Star Wars movie, one that could launch a whole new era in the galaxy far, far away.

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