It appears that the Boba Fett movie isn’t happening after all. When it was first announced that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and new Star Wars movies were being planned, it was reported that a spinoff focusing on the Boba Fett character was one of the many non-Episode films in development. That project was finally confirmed this past May when it was reported that James Mangold would write and direct the Boba Fett movie. This news just so happened to break literally one day before Solo: A Star Wars Story opened in theaters, a film that wasn’t tracking so hot for its opening weekend.

While the Boba Fett movie may very well have been in development, the timing of the announcement seemed curious—sometimes studios will break news about future sequels or spinoffs so audiences feel obligated to see whatever film precedes them, which in this case was Solo. But regardless of whether that leak was calculated or not, Collider exclusively broke the news this past June that future A Star Wars Story spinoffs—including the Boba Fett movie—were on hold as Lucasfilm readjusted following the disappointing box office performance of Solo.

Plenty were skeptical, but now Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has reportedly confirmed as much. Reporter Erick Weber was attending a special screening of Black Panther last night (no doubt as part of Disney’s Oscar campaign for the film), and he says Kennedy confirmed to him that the Boba Fett movie is dead (via The Playlist):

https://twitter.com/ErickWeber/status/1055650705707433984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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Image via Lucasfilm

This is directly in line with what we reported this summer. While Solo’s worldwide box office total of $339 million is nothing to scoff at, it’s a mere fraction of what every other Star Wars film in the Disney era made. The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi all cracked $1 billion, so $339 million comparatively is kind of disastrous—especially for a film about the most beloved character in the franchise.

And honestly, good on Lucasfilm for taking a beat and ensuring they forge ahead on the right path rather than simply continuing on with a plan that clearly had some kinks in it. Creator Jon Favreau’s TV series The Mandalorian promises to open up an entirely new corner of the Star Wars universe on Disney’s streaming service, so it makes sense that they’d want to focus on getting that right while trusted filmmaker J.J. Abrams is off bringing the trilogy to a close with Episode IX.

What happens beyond that is anyone’s guess. Rian Johnson has been enlisted to create a new Star Wars trilogy focusing on brand new characters, while Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are due to create another new Star Wars franchise on the big screen. It also looks like that Obi-Wan movie isn't happening anymore either. In the wake of Solo’s disappointment, it sounds like Lucasfilm may finally be looking forward rather than digging into its past. Here’s hoping.

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Image via Lucasfilm
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Image via Lucasfilm
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Image via Disney