Home STAR WARS Rumour: Michael B. Jordan being considered to play BOBA FETT

STAR WARS Rumour: Michael B. Jordan being considered to play BOBA FETT

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Michael_B._Jordan_BobaFett

It would appear that I spent so much time this weekend trying to take down AT-AT Walkers over in the ridiculously fun Star Wars Battlefront beta, that another huge piece of Star Wars news somehow slipped in under my radar. During an episode of the Meet the Movie Press Podcast (via Latino-Review), The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider dropped the bomb that Lucasfilm and Disney are considering rapidly rising star Michael B. Jordan to play fan-favourite bounty hunter Boba Fett in an upcoming standalone Star Wars movie!

Now first thing’s first: This is 100% still in rumour territory, but we’ve heard so many stories over the last few years about a standalone Boba Fett story that there’s definitely a ring of truth to this, especially when you consider the very well connected Sneider’s track record when it comes to these things.

Currently Lucasfilm has Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) finishing up Rogue One, the first of the Star Wars Story films (previously known as the Star Wars Anthology films), and then there’s also a standalone Han Solo tale in the pipeline from Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie, 21 & 22 Jump Street). There was supposed to be a third film in the mix already, directed by Josh Trank, but reportedly his behaviour during the making of Fantastic Four (which was produced/written by Simon Kinberg, who is also part of the Star Wars brain trust) got him booted from that project.

A project that for a long time had been rumoured to be focusing on the famous Mandalorian armour-wearing bounty hunter. And since Trank had worked with and developed a friendship with Jordan on Chronicle, which resulted in him also being cast Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four, it certainly sounds likely that Jordan’s name was in the mix for the Boba Fett movie. The fact that his friend Trank is no longer around certainly shouldn’t hurt his prospects, as Jordan is one of the most exciting young actors in Hollywood right now and is poised on the verge of a true superstar breakout.

Young_BobaFett

Now there’s an elephant in the room that has to be addressed here, and this elephant is black. Just like Michael B. Jordan. And if you recall correctly, it was his so-called black-ness that nearly caused the internet to be razed to the ground when he was cast to play the traditionally white Johnny Storm. Remember that we’ve already met Boba Fett outside of his armour in the movies, as a young boy played by Daniel Logan in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. It was revealed there that Boba is actually a clone of Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison. Both Logan and Morrison are New Zealand-born actors of Maori descent. In other words, not African-American. So how can Jordan play him now (especially since he’s supposed to be a clone)? Is this another case of race-bending that might rile up the hardcore fans?

Well, not quite as there’s a chance that the Boba Fett that Jordan might play – if this rumour turns out to be true – is a different Boba Fett to the one you know. The recently published “Star Wars: Aftermath” – the first of the new officially canon Star Wars novels that fills in the 30-year gap between Return of the Jedi and the upcoming The Force Awakens – is quite frankly not a good book, but it does have these interesting “Interludes” scattered throughout that have nothing to do with the book’s main story but give little glimpses as to what is going on with other famous characters in other parts of the galaxy.

And one of them has an unknown character trying to purchase a set of Mandalorian armour off some Jawas on Tattooine. Most notably, the armour appears to be acid-scarred (Possibly like the acid secreted by the Sarlacc which we last saw chomping down on Boba Fett after he was tossed into it’s maw by Luke Skywalker in ROTJ?)This no-name buyer is then shot and killed by another unknown character though, who takes the armour for himself before proclaiming to be the new law on Tattooine. Could this “lawman” be the new Boba Fett that Jordan is wanted to play?

With no director set to replace Trank yet – though Sneider claims that recently revealed Furious 8 director F. Gary Gray was interested in the gig – and no release date in sight, that would certainly leave enough time for Lucasfilm and Disney to introduce a new Boba Fett in all the Star Wars novels/comic books/animated shows that they are currently pumping out before having him show up for real on the big screen. And since the original Boba Fett was so mysterious so as to be almost devoid of personality and character in the movies, casual fans would probably not even pick up a difference. Especially if Lucasfilm would be willing to make the ballsy choice of having the character never remove his helmet/armour throughout the movie.

So what do you guys think? Does Michael B. Jordan sound like a good fit for Boba Fett or should this rumour get tossed into the Sarlacc pit?

Last Updated: October 13, 2015

One Comment

  1. Haha, cue INSANE INTERNET RANTS!!!! He’s a great actor so I’m sure he could do the NZ accent and look as Maori as possible… Seriously though, I have no problem with him playing Bobba Fett if it fits in logically. Then again, this is Star Wars, fokol logical about a giant worm living in an asteroid without the need for oxygen and then that fucker with the ears from Episode One, YOH!

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