The Book of Boba Fett is “grittier” than The Mandalorian. Famed Star Wars universe bounty hunter Boba Fett died in slapstick fashion early on in Return of the Jedi. But of course in Star Wars no one’s ever really gone, so the villainous clone in beskar ultimately returned in season 2 of The Mandalorian (after being briefly teased in season 1).

But the return of Boba Fett turned out to be more than just a gimmicky character resurrection to add spice to The Mandalorian. Fett’s arrival also brought in a new character in Fennec Shand, who quickly became a key player in the Disney+ Star Wars streaming universe. Boba Fett’s return proved successful enough that Disney and Lucasfilm elected to go ahead with The Book of Boba Fett, a show focusing on the bounty hunter’s further adventures (and some of his past), with Fennec Shand along for the ride.

Related: Everything We Know About The Book Of Boba Fett

Details about The Book of Boba Fett have naturally been hard to come by. One item of interest that has emerged is the participation of Robert Rodriguez, who directed the Boba Fett-return Mandalorian episode “The Tragedy” and will helm multiple episodes of the new series. As for the show’s tone, it seems things will have a harder edge than The Mandalorian - and it's due to Rodriguez. Speaking on the podcast Star Wars Sessions, Mandalorian stunt performer Brendan Wayne talked about the ways Rodriguez made Boba Fett distinctive from Mando as a character when he directed "The Tragedy," and how the edginess of his Boba Fett will carry over to the new show. He said (via The Direct):

"I think that's what we as an audience, I think, are going to get from The Book of Boba Fett. A lot more of that kinda feel. He gets even grittier than Mando did. I feel like he doesn't have the choice because he really was a different kind of character."

Boba Fett in The Mandalorian

Wayne also related a phrase Rodriguez himself has used in describing his version of Boba Fett: "All killer, no filler." In other words, fans shouldn’t look forward to any warm-and-fuzzy moments in The Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian of course features plenty of action, but also has Baby Yoda as a main character, and frequently passes into the realm of the adorable. "All killer, no filler" indicates adorable is not on the table for the new show.

Boba Fett fanatics hoping for an action-packed and edgy depiction of their favorite bounty hunter should feel very encouraged by Wayne’s characterization. “All killer, no filler” is indeed the sort of Boba Fett these fans want to see. And in fact, Boba Fett should be grittier than Mando. He is after all a bounty hunter who has done all sorts of horrible things, like deliver the heroic Han Solo to the evil Jabba the Hutt. The Mandalorian of course also deals with bounty hunter activities, but it also goes out of its way to soften Din Djarin, to the extent that by the second season's end the character was sharing a touching moment with a puppet.

There’s nothing wrong with humanizing a character like Din Djarin of course, but doing the same thing with Boba Fett would arguably feel ridiculous and might even be something of a cheat. It remains to be seen how far The Book of Boba Fett goes down the road of grittiness (it's still Disney after all), but there’s definitely room for a darker and more hard-edged take on Star Wars than has been offered by The Mandalorian.

More: How Book Of Boba Fett Could Differ From The Mandalorian

Source: Star Wars Sessions (via The Direct)