Given that so much of the Disney era of ‘Star Wars’ has felt like a specific effort to court fans of the original trilogy who were left cold by the prequels, it’s a bit odd that we have yet to see Boba Fett in any capacity. After all, despite his relatively minor role in the films, the character became an instant fan favorite following his 1978 debut in the ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’ (If we have to remember it, so do you.). Despite this, and despite rumors of a spinoff film that have persisted ever since Disney announced their initial ‘Star Wars’ slate five years ago (supposedly, Josh Trank’s aborted anthology film would have focused on Fett), Lucasfilm has yet to officially confirm the iconic bounty hunter’s return to the big screen.
But absent a film of his own, the most logical place for Fett to appear would be in this year’s ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’. After all the two characters have a common history with regard to their involvement with Jabba the Hutt, the presence of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba in ‘Rogue One’ is proof positive that Lucasfilm will gladly work less popular characters into the new films when appropriate. While it’s hardly an official announcement, a fan on Reddit spotted a familiar silhouette in the background of a set photo shared by director Ron Howard.
Admittedly, that silhouette could be anything, but it does bear a striking resemblance to a profile view of Boba Fett’s helmet.
But assuming for the sake of argument that it is Boba Fett, what does this mean for the film? We already know that the film is expected to chronicle Solo’s early meetings with Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian, so adding Boba Fett into the mix certainly wouldn’t be a stretch. The two could cross paths in the course of a job, or as a result of the incident that resulted in Jabba putting a price on Han’s head in the first place (assuming that’s included in the story). Or Boba Fett could well be doing what Boba Fett does best: standing around in the background and looking cool.
Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on ‘Solo’ and other upcoming ‘Star Wars’ movies as it becomes available!
‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ is currently scheduled for release on May 25, 2018. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Joonas Suotamo.
