James Mangold Wants To Explore The Origin Of The Jedi

James Mangold is directing a Star Wars film exploring the origin of the Jedi.

By Lyndon Nicholas | Updated

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Star Wars fans have always wondered about the origins of Jedi, Sith, and the mystical energy that runs through George Lucas‘ Star Wars universe called The Force. Now, they might get their answer. According to a recent Screen Rant interview, James Mangold’s upcoming Star Wars film will explore the beginning of the Jedi and their connection to the Force. 

During the interview, James Mangold was asked what inspired him to start at “the very beginning” and chronicle the beginning of the Jedi. Mangold responded that he wanted to make “a Star Wars Zero” and answer the question, “Where was the Force born?”  He continued that the film is “about this discovery.”

James Manigold hopes to explore the origins of the Force, the Jedi, and some of those deeper questions sitting at the center of the Star Wars universe. The movie will be about the very first knights in the Jedi Order and is set about 25,000 years before the other films. Although there have been few other details leaked about the film, in order to tackle subject matter like the origins of the Jedi and their connection to the force, the film will have a lot of heavy lifting to do. 

Outside of his recent focus on Star Wars and the Jedi, James Mangold may best be known for his work on Logan. That film was praised for pulling out the emotional complexity from its characters and subject material and giving a different tone than fans were accustomed to with X-Men films. Although the claim may have to be revisited in a few years, it is already being called one of the greatest superhero films ever made and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

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James Mangold made his debut as a film director with Heavy and is best known for films like 1999’s Angelina Jolie hit Girl, Interrupted, 2005’s Walk the Line, and 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma. He had also worked on 2013’s The Wolverine before returning to X-Men with Logan. He most recently directed the racing drama Ford v Ferrari, which earned him another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Picture. 

James Mangold is working on directing and co-writing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will be released in 2023. The film is the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones series and is reported to be the final entry in the franchise. It will feature Jedi-ally Harrison Ford in the titular role.

With James Mangold’s update, there is much to be excited about for Star Wars fans. The third season of Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian explores some areas and relationships within the universe that have gone overlooked, including re-introducing Jedi and force user Ahsoka Tano (played by Rosario Dawson), who is getting her own series Ahsoka, scheduled to be released in August of 2023.  

Other upcoming releases outside of James Mangold’s film include Star Wars: Skeleton Crew which comes from Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts, Star Wars: The Acolyte, which is being run by Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland, a second season of the Diego Luna-led series Star Wars: Andor about rebel spy Cassian Andor, and a series in development about Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian being developed by Dear White People’s Justin Simien. For Jedi hopefuls and Star Wars fans everywhere, James Mangold’s upcoming film could finally unlock the long-awaited key to becoming a Jedi.