The Mandalorian season 2 casts Temuera Morrison to play Boba Fett. The infamous bounty hunter has been one of the most popular Star Wars characters ever since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, becoming an instant fan-favorite thanks to his cool appearance and mystique. While Boba didn't do much onscreen, most viewers have been interested in seeing more of him in various Star Wars projects. In fact, Jon Favreau said one of the reasons why he created The Mandalorian was to tap into the void left by Boba Fett hype.
Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, there's been an endless stream of rumors about a Boba Fett movie (one was set to be helmed by Josh Trank at one point). More recently, there was talk of James Mangold directing a Boba Fett spinoff, but those discussions died down in the aftermath of Solo: A Star Wars Story bombing at the box office. But now, Boba is finally ready to make his return, and it'll be in Disney+'s flagship program.
THR reports Morrison has joined The Mandalorian season 2 to play Boba Fett. Fans will remember Morrison played bounty hunter Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. That film revealed Boba is actually an unaltered clone of Jango, which is why Morrison is returning to the Star Wars franchise to play Boba as an adult. It also keeps continuity with the canonical special edition of The Empire Strikes Back, in which Morrison re-recorded Boba's dialogue.
This news would seemingly confirm Boba managed to escape the Sarlacc pit after Return of the Jedi, which is something the Disney canon has yet to outright address. There have been vague teases in materials like one of the Aftermath novels and even a Mandalorian season 1 episode (fans speculated Boba was the mystery man at the end of "The Gunslinger"), but nothing's definitively revealed the character's fate yet. Of course, it's possible Boba will just show up in flashbacks, but the belief that Morrison has "a small role" on The Mandalorian makes it sound like this is more than just a glorified cameo. In all likelihood, Boba will be crossing paths with Din Djarin in an episode or two, but specific details are unknown. Hopefully, The Mandalorian season 2 provides some resolution to the aforementioned "The Gunslinger" thread.
Morrison's casting is the second major exciting development for The Mandalorian season 2; the other being Rosario Dawson's reported casting as live-action Ahsoka. With the Star Wars movies on hiatus for a few years following The Rise of Skywalker, the Disney+ shows need to be the franchise's main attraction, and Lucasfilm is making sure they generate a lot of interest. After The Mandalorian seized the zeitgeist with Baby Yoda in season 1, season 2 is swinging for the fences by integrating classic Star Wars characters fans have wanted to see in this medium for a long time. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together, but fans certainly have a lot to look forward to now.
Source: THR