Star Wars: Boba Fett Spin-Off Show - Plot, Rumors, Release Date & More

By Tom Drew Updated:
Boba Fett helmet, no helmet

Warning — This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2. 

The Season 2 finale The Mandalorian had plenty of reveals and revelations, ranging from a much-awaited Mandalorian team up to the return of the legendary Luke Skywalker. But perhaps the most surprising aspect of the episode was a MCU-style post credits scene, announcing a new show titled The Book of Boba Fett.

After the heavily rumored Boba Fett-centric series was seemingly debunked at Disney's Investor Day 2020, many fans were disappointed that the galaxy's favorite bounty hunter wouldn't get his own adventures to go on. It turns out that Lucasfilm was actually just keeping their cards close to their chest, wanting to save the reveal once the dust had settled.

Boba Fett was one of the most celebrated aspects of the second season of The Mandalorian, proving that he truly is a fearsome warrior even without his armor. Now that the bounty hunter has a whole show to himself, what can fans expect to see from it? Here's everything that we know about The Book of Boba Fett, in addition to a healthy amount of speculation, from plot, characters, rumors and more.

PLOT

A series centered on Boba Fett is a tantalizing prospect all on its own, but no show is complete without an enticing plot. The post credits scene at the end of "The Rescue" primed fans for where the show would kick off. To recap, "Chapter 16" ended with Bib Fortuna, who has grown significantly since his appearance in Return of the Jedi, having taken over Jabba's Palace. Fennec Shand infiltrated the palace, killing all of Fortuna's attendants and freeing a Twi'lek slave.

Boba Fett then made a grand entrance, shooting down Fortuna's attempts at small talk only to shoot through the greedy Twi'lek with his blaster. Jabba's throne was, therefore, ripe for the taking, and Boba Fett was in no position to refuse. With the entire palace to himself and Fennec, it seems that the two are ready to take on the festering underworld of Tatooine.

The Book of Boba Fett will presumably pick up directly from where this post credits scene ends, following the pair as they traverse Tatooine's world of crime. Boba Fett's allegiances are still somewhat murky, so it is unclear what side of the law this interpretation of the bounty hunter will fall on. Fett chose to aid Mando in retrieving the Child and his savagery towards Stormtroopers certainly indicates that he has some sort of moral compass. Despite this, it is still unknown whether Boba Fett will use his newfound armor to mop up the hive of scum and villainy on Tatooine or appoint himself as its new crime lord. 

While it is apparent that Boba Fett survived his encounter with the Sarlacc Pit, it is still unknown how he did so. Perhaps The Book of Boba Fett could delve into this, explaining how he managed to escape the creature and how it led to the loss of his armor. 

The Mandalorian did not shy away from Boba Fett's Clone status, so this could also be a sticking point in the upcoming Disney+ series. Captain Rex has yet to make his live-action debut, so there is the possibility of the Clone Trooper making a return. With Temuera Morrison already on board, why not take advantage of it by giving the actor more than one role?

CHARACTERS

As indicated by the post credits sequence, Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen will seemingly return as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, respectively, to co-lead the series. Morrison originally played coy about the possibility of returning, but this announcement all but confirms that he was in the know.

Fennec has quite the bright future ahead of her, with the character also making an animated appearance in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Therefore, not only will we see her journey continue into the sequel trilogy era, but we will also explore some of Fennec's backstory in animated form. Though unlikely, there is the slim possibility of Boba Fett turning up in the Clone Wars spinoff, establishing a connection with Shand well before the events of The Mandalorian

Considering at least part of the series will take place on Tatooine, there is the possibility of other residents of the desert planet making an appearance. With Cobb Vanth being intrinsically tied to Boba Fett's armor, perhaps the Mos Pelgo gunslinger could cross paths with the bounty hunter. 

Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto is still kicking about on the Tatooine sands, so there is the possibility of her making a return. The Slave I still seems to be in good shape, but a pitstop could go a long way. There are also the residents of Jabba's Sail Barge that may have fled the vehicle prior to its destruction. If Bib Fortuna managed to survive, there is a good chance that Salacious B. Crumb or Max Rebo could have lived to appear in The Book of Boba Fett. 

Perhaps the Mandalorian himself could even show up for an episode or two. Boba Fett was more than welcome on Mando's show, so it would only be fair for Din to be allowed a guest spot on Boba's new series. This could also give Temuera Morrison the Boba Fett-Grogu interaction that he wants so much.

RUMORS

As with all projects in the Star Wars universe, there are rumors-a-plenty surrounding The Book of Boba Fett.

The production start was a point of interest, with the Boba Fett series supposedly shooting prior to the start of filming for The Mandalorian Season 3. This rumor suggested that the series would have begun filming in November, so it remains to be seen whether Lucasfilm followed through with this or not. Attached to this information were details about a potential cast member: Sophie Thatcher of Chicago Med. While it was unclear whether Thatcher would be joining The Book of Boba Fett or The Mandalorian, it is likely that she will be joining the universe in some capacity.

A report from The Direct stated that Peaky Blinders' Jordan Bolger would be making an appearance in spinoff series from The Mandalorian. While this could now theoretically be any number of the various spinoffs from the show, the rumor indicated that Boba Fett would be involved. Bolger is rumored to be in talks for a supporting role, which could indicate that the actor is playing another figurehead in Tatooine's criminal underworld.

The same rumor did note, however, that the series would be set between Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian. The end of "Chapter 16" seems to debunk this, although there is a possibility that the series could partially be set prior to The Mandalorian. A cross-narrative could take place in the show, similar to the CW's Arrow, where flashbacks are intercut with a main plotline in the 'modern day.' This could allow The Book of Boba Fett to progress the bounty hunter and Fennec Shand's stories, whilst providing some backstory on how Boba Fett got to this point.

RELEASE DATE

Book of Boba Release Date
From The Mandalorian

The announcement of The Book of Boba Fett also came with a release date: December 2021.

This news is exciting with it only being a year before the bounty hunter returns to the small screen, but does pose an interesting question. How will this interplay with the release of The Mandalorian Season 3? President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy indicated that "the next chapter" of The Mandalorian would be releasing in Holiday 2021. While most believed that Kennedy was referring to The Mandalorian Season 3 at the time, it now seems more likely that she was actually referring to The Book of Boba Fett. As we haven't heard any official news regarding The Mandalorian Season 3's production, fans may have to wait until 2022 for the next direct installment.

Is there a potential for overlap between The Mandalorian Season 3 and The Book of Boba Fett? Lucasfilm does appear to be heavily interested in interconnectivity going forward, so a crossover would not be out of the question. This could take a similar style to the Arrowverse's approach, where a single week of episodes is dedicated to a crossover event. 

It also remains to be seen whether the Boba Fett spinoff will be a limited series or not, similar to Ahsoka. Though it is currently unknown how much of Boba Fett's story Lucasfilm wants to continue, it seems to be certainly worth telling for at least one glorious season. 

Finally, there is the name: The Book of Boba Fett. This is certainly a unique title for the show, straying away from the Disney+ trend to name their series simply after the title characters (We're looking at you, Ahsoka). The reference to a book could point to this being a series that is narratively in flux, exploring various chapters of Boba Fett's life. This could very well indicate that we could see Boba Fett's fateful encounter with the Sarlacc play out after all. Or alternatively, maybe Boba Fett has a book that he is just dying to tell Star Wars fans about. 

 

The Book of Boba Fett is shaping up to be an exciting entry in the Star Wars universe, potentially exploring a new, untouched avenue of the galaxy. With the series only a year away, fans will have to wait with bated breath to see Boba Fett return to their streaming services in December 2021.

- About The Author: Tom Drew
Tom Drew is the Executive Editor at The Direct. Tom writes for The Direct's Marvel, Star Wars, and DC branches while specializing in all things movies, from blockbuster to indie darlings.