James Mangold Says He Doesn’t Want His Star Wars Movie to ‘Be Handcuffed’ By George Lucas’s Lore

January 29, 2025 ·

Raven Redgrave

Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm

James Mangold recently spoke about his upcoming Star Wars movie, noting that he doesn’t want to be “handcuffed” by George Lucas’s lore.

The James Mangold Star Wars movie is still going forward, confirmed to be an origin story for the Jedi Order.

James Mangold, director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, recently shared his thoughts and plans for Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi. In an interview with Movie Web, Mangold explained he wants to focus on creative liberty, unburdened by decades of beloved lore established by George Lucas.

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: James Mangold and Dave Filoni onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)

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“To me, the really important aspects are the freedom to make something new,” he said. George Lucas’s storytelling pattern for Star Wars was meant to be “like poetry,” giving it structure and depth. Mangold apparently wants to defy this traditional method to work in “something original,” as he put it.

That’s why Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is going to be a prequel.

James Mangold told Movie Web that the film will take place thousands of years before the main Star Wars story.

“It’s an area and a playground that I’ve always [wanted to explore],” the director explained, “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.” The precise date of the film within the Star Wars timeline, according to Mangold, is 25,000 years before any other Star Wars film.

James Mangold with Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller Bridge

CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 18: (L-R) James Mangold, Harrison Ford, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge attend “Indiana Jones and The Dial Of Destiny” photocall at Carlton Pier on May 18, 2023 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)

In Star Wars Legends, that date is better known as 25,000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin.). In Legends, that is the year the Jedi Order was founded.

This is a big concern for classic Star Wars fans, especially those who still love the Legends stories.

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy declared all previous books and games no longer canon to Star Wars lore. This allowed her and her followers to make whatever they wanted under the Star Wars name and brand.

In other words, goodbye, Shadows of The Empire and hello, The Acolyte.

Fans have continuously pointed out several plot points and characters from the scrapped lore inserted (poorly) into current-day Star Wars. It appears this new movie just might be more of the same.

(L-R): Captain Enoch (Wes Chatham) and Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) with Night Troopers in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved

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YouTuber Star Wars Apprentice gives a good example in his video explaining the origins of the Jedi Order:

“In Legends,” he says, “the Jedi Order evolved from a religious sect known as the Je’daii Order on the planet Tython. The Je’daii sought to find harmony between the light and dark sides of the Force.” He then explains how the light and dark scholars split to become the Jedi Order and the Sith. “This was then expanded on in the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game in 2011. But since the entire game was declared non-canon by Disney the following year, this was not the canon story for very long.”

A similar video from YouTuber Stupendous Wave expands on this point further:

“Story group leader of Lucasfilm, Pablo Hidalgo, discussed this,” he noted, “by saying, ‘I like the idea that Rey is going to be our Skywalker. But she’s not a Skywalker by blood. Then for our purposes the Skywalker [name] is really a metaphor. It doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to her bloodline.'”

Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm

“By this explanation,” the YouTuber continues, “the title of a Skywalker has now been canonically changed to mean something different than a family bloodline…. [It] now denotes someone as a protector of the balance of the Force…. This would mean, in fact, that the first Jedi that ever existed in Star Wars…was essentially the first Skywalker.”

This could be why the Rey movie was rumored to have “evolved” after Dawn of the Jedi was announced. If so, fans should expect the entire history of Star Wars to potentially be changed.

What do you think? Are these valid concerns? What do you think will happen in this movie? Let us know in the comments below.

Raven Redgrave, AKA Writing Raven, is the co-host of the Gothic Therapy YouTube channel with her husband MasterOfTheTDS. The channel features a look at pop culture, entertainment, and gaming with insightful commentary, sharp critiques, and a dose of dark humor.

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Author: Raven Redgrave

Raven Redgrave (also known as The Writing Raven) is the cohost of the Gothic Therapy YouTube channel. She is the Gothic half of the channel, while her husband, MasteroftheTDS, is the Therapy. They cover pop-culture with a twist. SOCIAL MEDIA: X: http://x.com/WritingRaven2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GothicTherapy