Temuera Morrison, star of The Book of Boba Fett, worried about revealing too much of the mystery surrounding the iconic Star Wars bounty hunter. Morrison joined the franchise in the second series prequel, Attack of the Clones, appearing as Boba Fett's father, Jango Fett, while also offering his likeness to the clone army in subsequent movies and shows. Thanks to his face being a staple in the Star Wars universe, Morrison became the obvious choice to play Boba Fett, returning to the famous armor in season 2 of The Mandalorian, before scoring the lead role in the upcoming solo Boba Fett show.
The Book of Boba Fett will continue from the epic Mandalorian post-credit scene, with Fett and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) vying for power with the criminal underbelly of Tatooine in the wake of crime lord Jabba the Hutt's death. With Fett no longer a bounty hunter in The Book of Boba Fett, the trailers have hinted that he will explore plenty of new dynamics in the upcoming show, including his relationship with Fennec Shand. Recent teaser trailers have also confirmed the series will fill in at least some of the gaps following the character's apparent demise in Return of the Jedi, including how Fett escaped the jaw of the Sarlacc Pit.
With the series premiere looming, Morrison has discussed his reservations around overdoing the legendary Star Wars character in an interview with SFX Magazine. As reported by Star Wars News Net, when asked about apprehensions around making a Fett-centric show, Morrison admitted that at times, they "opened up too much of the can." Despite his concerns, Morrison went on to thank producer Dave Filoni, who he describes as having "an ability to connect some of the dots – some of the ancient dots – and to keep that authenticity," before admitting that he relied on Filoni a lot. Read Morrison's quote below:
“Yes, and that’s where we kind of opened up too much of the can at times, I think. I did have my reservations, but hey, I trust the people I work with. I was so lucky I had people like Dave Filoni who has an ability to connect some of the dots – some of the ancient dots – and to keep that authenticity. I relied on him a lot, because I’m not one of these actors that reads every comic book and every bounty hunter book.”
While Morrison's concerns about ruining the mystery surrounding Fett are understandable, with Filoni on board, the legacy of Star Wars characters is well protected. Filoni perhaps understands the Star Wars universe better than anyone, working tirelessly to create stories and characters that seamlessly slot into Star Wars canon. But, while the likes of Filoni have proved fundamental to keeping Star Wars characters well preserved, Morrison doesn't give himself enough credit. His appearance as Fett in The Mandalorian is proof alone that the character deserves further exploration, and Morrison is the right person for the job. With his imposing demeanor and well-acted, true-to-canon characterization, The Mandalorian and Morrison have helped elevate Boba Fett from the cool-looking but otherwise vapid bounty hunter to a genuinely intriguing character.
Despite a new movie some way off, the next couple of years are promising to offer a busy viewing schedule for Star Wars fans. Next year will see at least three TV shows airing, with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and the third season of The Mandalorian all premiering in 2022, and while the highly anticipated Ahsoka series doesn't yet have a release date, the show could well see Morrison make a second live-action appearance as The Clone Wars fan-favorite, Captain Rex. For now, only time will tell if Morrison will wear the famous Boba Fett armor after The Book of Boba Fett, but all will become clear once the show airs on December 29th.
Source: SFX (via Star Wars News Net)