I promise, I swear, James Mangold wants to redefine the universe Star Wars with Dawn of the Jedia film which will trace the origin of the Jedi, and which should move away from the recurring errors of the saga.
Despite the undeniable commercial success of the saga Star Warswith episodes VII, VIII and IX having all happily passed the billion dollar mark at the box office (and even two billion for The Force Awakens), the franchise seems more lost than ever in the face of major creative challenges that it can no longer manage.
Recent productions struggle to free themselves from the existing heritage, and prefer to recycle elements familiar to fans rather than explore new narrative horizons. Rey's return for the next trilogy Star Warsthe arrival of Grogu and the Mandalorian in the cinema, and even the series The Acolyte which sought to bring back an iconic antagonist, illustrate this tendency to anchor itself in the known.
Even Andorwhose second season will end by joining the events of Rogue One, testifies to this inclination to exploit to the dregs the tropes of the already established universe. In this context of a gigantic galactic ouroboros biting its tail, director James Mangold is preparing the prequel Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi. He recently said that his film will avoid one of the major errors made by the other parts of the saga.
Star Wars, in an even more distant era
It must be admitted that seeing James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line) take the reins of Dawn of the Jedi there is something joyful about it. This prequel will explore the origins of the Force and the appearance of the first Jedi, 25 millennia before the first films. Mangold expressed his enthusiasm for this unexplored period of the universe Star Warsconsidering it as a breeding ground for creativity and innovation.
“The Star Wars film will take place 25,000 years before all known Star Wars films. It's an area and a playground that I've always wanted to explore and that inspired me when I was a teenager. I don't want to be handcuffed by a story so vast that it becomes almost immovable and that we can't please anyone. »
The 10 Commandments of the Jedi
By setting his story in such a remote era, Mangold ignores the constraints of established lore, allowing him to explore new themes and stories without risking disappointing the expectations of fans attached to classic characters and plots. A priori, no Skywalker or Palpatine on the horizon, so this should allow him to detach himself from any excessive dependence on nostalgia and avoid having to refer to previous works
Mangold compared his project to a biblical epic, evoking The Ten Commandments to illustrate the breadth and depth that he wishes to infuse into his Dawn of the Jedi (which will have nothing to do with the eponymous comic book saga). For him, it will be a question of retracing the mythological origins of the Force, by exploring fundamental questions such as: where does the Force come from? When was it discovered? How did the first beings learn to use it? Who is Darth Maul's hairdresser?
This would a priori be an approach aimed at reconnecting with the spiritual dimension of Star Wars (no midi-chlorians on the horizon therefore), while offering spectators new characters and issues. James Mangold is currently working on the prequel project with screenwriter Beau Willimon (House of Cards, Andor).
The movie Dawn of the Jedi has no release window at this time.
