James Mangold Doesn’t Want To Be “Handcuffed” To ‘Star Wars’ Lore

As James Mangold makes his mark on a galaxy far, far away with his upcoming Star Wars installment, he’s emphasizing the “long time ago” part of the setting.

The 4x Oscar winner, who is set to co-write and direct Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, recently teased that his prequel will aim to “find a way on the page to say something original” about the origin of The Force without relying too much on the franchise’s established lore.

“To me, the really important aspects are the freedom to make something new. [Screenwriter Beau Willimon] and I, in relation to Star Wars, have been working on a script, and we’ll see what happens,” he told MovieWeb.

“The Star Wars movie would be taking place 25,000 years before any known Star Wars movies take place,” added Mangold. “It’s an area and a playground that I’ve always [wanted to explore] and that I was inspired by as a teenager. I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable, and you can’t please anybody.”

First announced at 2023’s Star Wars Celebration in London, the project is based on the 2012 comic book series about the origins of the Jedi Order. A release date for the film has not yet been set.

Willimon, who previously earned an Emmy nomination for his writing on the Star Wars series Andor, was announced as Mangold’s co-writer in April.