James Mangold, director of Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is set to helm a new Star Wars film titled Dawn of the Jedi. This film aims to delve into the origins of the Jedi Order, exploring the Force's beginnings approximately 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. Mangold has described the project as a "Cecil B. DeMille-style biblical epic," drawing inspiration from classics like The Ten Commandments.
However, Mangold's involvement in another high-profile project, High Side, has raised concerns about potential delays for the Star Wars film. Reports in January 2025 suggested that the script for Dawn of the Jedi, co-written by Mangold and Andor’s Beau Willimon, is expected to be completed by the summer, with casting to follow. Production was reportedly tentatively scheduled to begin in December, though there was never official confirmation of this timeline.
Now, with Mangold's commitment to his new motocross heist project – for which he is reuniting with A Complete Unknown star Timothee Chalamat – Dawn of the Jedi may be pushed further into the future. This development is particularly significant given the current state of Star Wars cinema. The last Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, was released in 2019, and since then, the franchise has primarily focused on television series such as The Mandalorian and Andor. Three films – The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars: Starfighter, and Daisy Ridley’s as-yet-untitled Rey movie – are still on Lucasfilm’s slate.
Mangold's film offers a unique opportunity to explore uncharted territory within the Star Wars universe. By setting the story thousands of years before the Skywalker saga, about 10,000 years after the Tho Yor arrival, the project has the potential to introduce new characters and concepts without being constrained by the existing canon.
Despite the promising concept, the lack of a confirmed release date and the potential delays due to Mangold's other commitments have left fans eager for more concrete information. One Redditor said, "Of all the upcoming Star Wars projects we have, the one I’m most interested in is James Mangold’s ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ film, which was described as a biblical epic of the first Jedi. And is also being written by Beau Willimon, who wrote 6 episodes of Andor!"
While Dawn of the Jedi looks to be an ambitious addition to the Star Wars universe, Mangold's other commitments have created serious uncertainty around its timeline. It’s been over two years since the project was originally confirmed at Star Wars Celebration in London, but only time will tell when it will finally arrive.