Boba Fett movie: A passion project or damage control?

In the midst of a crazy week for Star Wars, there has been an announcement on plans to create a Star Wars spin-off centered around the cult figure, Boba Fett. What’s it all about?

This week has certainly been eventful for the Star Wars universe. As of now, the fallout for the lackluster opening weekend of the newest Star Wars spin-off, Solo: A Star Wars Story, has left a sour taste on the tongue. People are beginning to digest the situation a little more and as such, they can finally begin to understand the complicated nature of Solo‘s bomb. However, the situation is far from over, as Disney and company have recently announced their plans to film a Boba Fett movie, with Logan director, James Mangold, taking charge as the film’s director.

This announcement barely came last week, as Solo was just gearing up for release, so the news has gone a bit unnoticed. People are talking, but so far, Disney’s disastrous weekend is the main focus. But the announcement of a Boba Fett film has raised some interesting questions, namely: Why even make a movie on Boba Fett? The character is popular, yes, but is it really deserving of an official spin-off? What is the film’s purpose, besides adding another movie to the Star Wars filmography?

Boba Fett…a true must-see?

Right as the film was announced last week, the general response to its announcement has been a resounding “Alright, you got 5 minutes, tell me more.” There’s an air of cautious optimism to the idea, where some seem relatively on board, for the most part, and others are absolutely against the idea. The reactions aren’t as strong as one would expect from a Star Wars film announcement, but why exactly is that?

The variable we must consider is the nature of Boba Fett’s popularity. Why do fans enjoy Fett so much as a character, despite his relatively small presence in the overall Star Wars universe? Fans seem to love his dark assassin attitude, which is a drastic change from the otherwise colorful and bold universe. He’s got a bit of a Clint Eastwood/Jesse McCree from Overwatch vibe to him, solidifying his reputation as a ‘cool’ character in the universe.

Making that case, wouldn’t it be better to keep Boba Fett where he currently stands, as a cool side character that oozes mystery? Part of what makes a character so charming can be the lack of knowledge of their story and background, prompting endless discussions on the matter and keeping the spirit alive. But now, Boba Fett won’t have that mystery to fall back on anymore. This isn’t just some slight exposition like in the prequels. This is a feature-length film on a character who is notable because he doesn’t like to talk very much. Considering that, it’s questionable as to whether fans will support a film as oddly focused as this one.

Damage control?

Before getting into this, I do realize that the film was announced before the Solo opening, so obviously LucasFilm executives didn’t realize just how dangerously lacking the box office numbers would be. However, the film’s announcement was still quite convenient, right in the middle of the opening of another Star Wars film. Some believe the announcement was to drum up more interest for Solo, which can definitely be a factor in its announcement. It can create more publicity for the film, which can help with its overall numbers, but there seems to be more at play.

The announcement came in the middle of a newsweek where Solo was already predicted to open significantly lower than any other Star Wars film, which might’ve dwindled the interests of some people who were on the fence about seeing the film. What good is a film if it doesn’t feel like an epic event with a packed house ready to enjoy the movie? So with the Boba Fett announcement, LucasFilm essentially wanted to do two things: drum up interest for Solo and attempt to distract from the numbers that they expected were to be lackluster in some way.

A lack of passion?

This is where the ugly part starts. It feels as though LucasFilm, and Disney to an extent, have began to slip up and show their hand a little too much in terms of their alleged true feelings on the Star Wars franchise. What’s really strange is that their true feelings don’t seem to line-up with what the fans want. This, in turn, has begun to take its toll on the potential shelf life of Star Wars. No, it doesn’t mean that Star Wars will go away, because it will NEVER go away. But it does call into question whether the creative spark is even present for the franchise anymore.

If anything, Boba Fett is further proof that the franchise is beginning to move away from what made it so special. Not only is the film itself lacking in potential, due to its character thriving more as a cool side character, but the announcement date just tipped the hand even further. It’s only announced when the company is expecting one of their other films to not do great business? The announcement didn’t have that glee or excitement around it. Instead, it just felt like the company was saying “Yup, we’re doing this now.”

Boba Fett continues to display the lack of coordination between the fans and LucasFilm, which has been souring the reputation of Star Wars since the modern trilogy was first announced and released. Though the new films have their fair share of fans, it’s clear that a disconnect exists between the two parties and the random, non-thrilling announcement to a cool, but otherwise weak character receiving his own movie only divides the parties further. The more Star Wars we get, the more it seems LucasFilm doesn’t show much care towards passion, creativity and selflessness towards the fans.

Conclusion

Who knows how the film will be like when it comes out? For all we know, James Mangold will be able to make Boba Fett into a worthy entry into the franchise. He can handle blockbusters well, but at the end of the day, it’s doubtful we’ll see a majority of his creative vision, so much as we get the vision of Kathleen Kennedy and LucasFilm. While the movies have always been huge money makers, the new Boba Fett film is painting itself to be just, and only, that.

Star Wars is a franchise that will always turn somebody off with their artistic decisions, but now, that seems to just be the trend with each film. As each film has gotten an even nastier reception, the future movies don’t seem to show off that creative vibe from before, even from their announcements. At this point, LucasFilm seems to be going into full damage control mode, releasing films on characters and storylines that are best left untouched. What is there to explore?

Next: Boycott: A Star Wars Disaster

Rogue One managed to have some stakes and levity to it, but Boba Fett is exploring the part of the Star Wars universe that seemingly few people really want to explore. Is the creative spark really gone? Can the future films in the franchise save what appears to be an increasingly toxic and divisive universe? Only time will tell, but as it stands, Boba Fett is shaping up to be as important to the Star Wars franchise as a film on the Traitor Stormtrooper would be. Sure, it could be fun, but is that it?

What do you think on the announcement of Boba Fett? Are you excited for it or is it not sounding appealing? Sound off in the comments below!