Turns out Lucasfilm had been planning a return trip to Tatooine, after all.
As Star Wars production designer Neil Lamont tells Cinema Blend, the studio had mapped out plans for a potential standalone movie revolving around Tatooine and its infamous Mos Eisley spaceport – the very same spaceport in which Luke Skywalker and Han Solo crossed paths for the very first time.
News of a potential Mos Eisley movie first emerged two months ago, when it was announced that, in light of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm had halted production on all standalone pics, including Kenobi: A Star Wars Story (tentative title) and the nascent Boba Fett movie in the works from James Mangold.
Neither project has shown any signs of life in quite some time, leading many to conclude that they’ve been temporarily shelved until Lucasfilm gets its ducks in a row (and Episode IX into theaters).
Perhaps the same fate has befallen Lucasfilm’s planned Tatooine spinoff? Neil Lamont certainly thinks so, and tells Cinema Blend that he hopes to return to the project one day, providing the stars align.
We were just starting our work on another Star Wars spin-off and yeah. We were actually just making our mark on Tatooine — which would have been interesting and some other new galaxies. So hopefully, if that comes back, we’ll get the chance to be able to do that further.
A Mos Eisley-set spinoff would undoubtedly involve a great many colorful characters from the Star Wars world, but again, it won’t please those wanting Lucasfilm to free itself from the shackles of the past and explore the uncharted corners of this most beloved universe.
Anyways, up next for the franchise is the launch of Episode IX next Christmas, which has J.J. Abrams in the driving seat.
