James Mangold doesn't want to be 'handcuffed by lore' with Star Wars movie

Director James Mangold wanted to set his Star Wars movie thousands of years before the existing films because he didn't want to be "handcuffed by so much lore".

The A Complete Unknown filmmaker is set to co-write and direct Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, which takes place 25,000 years before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which is the first Star Wars film chronologically.

In an interview with MovieWeb, Mangold explained that the time setting appealed to him because he would be less constrained by the lore of the existing films.

"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 shared.

"The Star Wars movie would be taking place 25,000 years before any known Star Wars movies take place. 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."

Mangold was revealed as the director of the film at Star Wars Celebration in London in 2023 and Andor scribe Willimon joined him as a co-writer in April 2024.

The film, which is based on the 2012 comic book series about the origins of the Jedi, does not yet have a release date.

A Star Wars film hasn't been released since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. However, they will return to the big screen with Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian & Grogu in May 2026.

In addition to Mangold, many other directors are working on Star Wars features, such as Patty Jenkins, Rian Johnson, Shawn Levy and Taika Waititi.