The Book of Boba Fett: Release date, plot and latest news about The Mandalorian spin-off
A Star Wars legend and the galaxy's most legendary bounty hunter is finally getting his own show.
Boba Fett has long been one of the more intriguing figures in Star Wars mythology – and the bounty hunter finally has his own show in the shape of Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fett.
The new sci-fi series aired its first episode on Wednesday 29th December, filling in some of the gaps of the lead character's backstory by following events between Return of the Jedi and his appearance in The Mandalorian, before setting up his role as the new crime lord of Tattooine – a task he appears to be struggling with.
The first episode also included a fair share of wacky aliens and gave Boba's number-two Fennec Shand the chance to show off some of her impressive martial arts skills, while there were also a couple of surprise cast inclusions.
Prior to the premiere, Disney had released a new teaser trailer giving fans a peek at the rooftop chases and sandy landscapes to come, while executive producer Jon Favreau told Empire back in November that the show will explore "a power vacuum" left by Jabba's absence.
"You pull somebody like that out of the ecosystem of Tatooine – and Hutt Space in general – and you have the opportunity that’s ripe in the gangster genre," he said. "Although Boba Fett is a very experienced bounty hunter, he’s not experienced at running a criminal syndicate or managing forces."
Executive producer Robert Rodriguez added: "We'll see a lot more of his true character in this season. And you'll definitely see him have to turn 'barbarian mode.'"
The Book of Boba Fett will also see Jennifer Beals (The L Word) join the Star Wars universe as a mysterious member of the Twi-lek alien race, with information about the character being kept so tightly under-wraps that even Beals didn't know she was in The Book of Boba Fett when she first stepped onto set.
"I just knew that I was getting to be part of this story," she told Variety.
Read on for everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett.
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The Book of Boba Fett release date
The Book of Boba Fett debuted on Disney Plus on Wednesday 29th December 2021.
The season one finale of Hawkeye was initially expected on this date before it was revealed the Marvel series would start with a double-bill and ended on Wednesday 22nd December 2021.
Filming on The Book of Boba Fett reportedly began in November 2020 on the same Los Angeles stage used for The Mandalorian, with Fennec Shand actress Ming-Na Wen hinting that shooting finished in June 2021 when she posted her wrap gift on Twitter.
The Book of Boba Fett review
But is the first episode actually good? Check out our review of The Book of Boba Fett episode one to find out our reaction to the new Star Wars series.
When is The Book of Boba Fett set?
The series explores the immediate aftermath of Fett killing Bib Fortuna and Fennec liberating the Twi'lek woman chained to his throne, as seen the post-credits scene of The Mandalorian’s season two finale.
You can read more about how the series fits into the Star Wars timeline with our guide to when The Book of Boba Fett is set.
The Book of Boba Fett age rating
The Book of Boba Fett has been handed a 12A certificate by the British Board of Film Classification.
This means that the show is considered suitable for viewers aged 12 and over, but those under that age are able to watch with an adult.
How many episodes is The Book of Boba Fett?
The Book of Boba Fett will run for seven episodes beginning with the premiere on the series release date.
After continuing for seven weeks, the series will conclude with its seventh instalment on Wednesday 9th February 2022.
This series runs slightly shorter than the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, which each ran for eight episodes each.
You can find out more with our complete guide to how many episodes of The Book of Boba Fett there will be.
Who is in The Book of Boba Fett?
Amongst the officially confirmed The Book of Boba Fett cast, Temuera Morrison reprises the role of Boba Fett after making a big splash with his initial return in The Mandalorian season two.
The actor had previously played Jango Fett, the "father" from which Boba is cloned, in 2002's Attack of the Clones, as well as portraying Commander Cody in 2005's Revenge of the Sith.
Joining him for this upcoming spin-off is Agents of SHIELD star Ming-Na Wen, who will return as sharpshooting mercenary Fennec Shand, who became an ally of Fett after he saved her life on the desolate outskirts of Tatooine.
The series released two character posters on November 29, 2021, featuring both Morrison and Wen in character.
Wen revealed that secrecy surrounding the show was so extreme that she thought she was filming The Mandalorian season three for the first two weeks of production.
"When I was told I was going to become a series regular, I just automatically assumed it was for The Mandalorian season three," Wen told Digital Spy. "And then when the scripts came out, it said 301, 302, 303, 304. So I just assumed I was signing on – because it doesn't say The Mandalorian on my contracts.
"So for two weeks, while I was working with Tem and Robert [Rodriguez], I had no idea that I was actually shooting the spin-off."
Lie to Me actress Jennifer Beals has also been cast as a Twi'lek in the new episodes, while Matt Berry and David Pasquesi also appear in the first episode.
The Book of Boba Fett plot
Little was revealed about The Book of Boba Fett's story prior to release, and we expect that most details will be kept top secret, as is standard for a Star Wars project.
However, a short synopsis was released that reads:
The Book of Boba Fett, a thrilling Star Wars adventure, finds legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigating the Galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.
Boba Fett and Fennec Shand returned to the iconic desert planet (last seen in Return of the Jedi) in the Mandalorian season two's post-credits scene, and found that Jabba's former servant Bib Fortuna had inherited the dead crime lord's gluttonous and immoral lifestyle.
Fennec liberates the Twi'lek woman chained to his throne and Boba kills Fortuna without hesitation, with the no-nonsense duo wasting no time making themselves at home - and it's safe to say, they'll be making a few changes.
The trailer showed Boba and Fennec doing just that, setting up a meeting with the crime lords of Tatooine and suggesting a new alliance built on co-operation and respect - rather menacingly might we add, however.
The series also reveals how Boba escaped the Sarlacc Pit that he fell into during Return of the Jedi, at which point he was presumed dead by many in the galaxy.
"We’re going to see his past and where he’s been since The Empire Strikes Back," Morrison told Rotten Tomatoes. "Somebody pointed out he’s been kind of stuck in this one place, and now’s the time to actually go back in time and check out his journey and find out more about him."
Fennec Shand's origin was explored in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch which could also be relevant given that characters are currently jumping into live-action left and right (see: Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze).
It's possible that these new live-action characters could appear in The Book of Boba Fett also - as Collider has reported that the series will be "The Mandalorian 2.5", a closely-linked spin-off that will see several characters from The Mandalorian reappear. Likely candidates include Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) and Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) given that both currently reside on Tatooine.
According to Ming-Na Wen, The Book of Boba Fett will be "more like a take on gangster movies" in the sense that it is a criminal story, as opposed to the earlier show which led to the spin-off which is intended to be more of a western (via Entertainment Weekly).
Meanwhile, executive producer Robert Rodriguez has said The Book of Boba Fett will dive deeper into Ming-Na Wen's character Fennec as she moves through the deserts of Tatooine with Boba.
"Ming-Na brings such an incredible swagger," he told Entertainment Weekly. "[We had] something we called the 'Fennec look,' where sometimes I'd design scenes just to end on her giving Boba a look that spoke volumes. She's so great at that: her looks and glares and smirks."
The Book of Boba Fett trailers
A trailer was finally released in November 2021, and shows Boba Fett and Fennec Shand having a Godfather-esque meeting with the crime lords of Tatooine.
Following on from the post-credit scene of The Mandalorian season two, the legendary bounty hunter looks set to look impossibly cool while beating up his enemies.
However there were plenty of Star Wars references also – we got another look at a returning Ming-Na Wen as deadly assassin Fennec Shand, as well as several stunning shots of the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Tatooine. Watch below:
We also have a new clip entitled Reign, which further adds to the gangster vibes from earlier clips. Watch below:
The latest trailer teases more Star Wars ties, and can be seen at the top of the article.
The Book of Boba Fett directors
Behind the camera, The Mandalorian's Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni will serve as executive producers, alongside director Robert Rodriguez who helmed Boba Fett's grand return episode in the second season.
Rodriguez will be directing several episodes of the spin-off show, while Favreau, Filoni and Bryce Dallas Howard will be helming at least one apiece.
Like much of the cast and crew, Rodriguez has remained tight-lipped about what exactly will happen in the The Book of Boba Fett, but he has said we can expect big things.
"Wait until you see what’s coming," Rodriguez told Collider."It’s going to blow your mind. That’s all I can say. I can talk it up all I want, because I know it over-delivers. It way over-delivers. People are going to be so pumped when they see it.”
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett arrives on Disney Plus in December 2021. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus, or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
