The Boba Bounty

Actor Jeremy Bulloch is schedule to appear at Disney Hollywood Studio’s Star Wars Weekend May 17-19.

Bulloch’s appearances in May are jammed pack. Here are more of his upcoming events:

• Screen-Con on May 4 in North Shields, UK
• Star Wars Fan Fun Day on May 6 in Burnley, UK
• Sci-Fi Film, Toy & Collectors Fair on May 12 in Norfolk, UK
• Sticcon on May 23 in Bellaria, Italy
• Fanboy Expo on May 31-June 2 in Knoxville, TN
• Niagara Falls Comic Con on June 8 in Niagara Falls, Canada
• The Core Comics & Games on June 15 in Cedar Falls, IA
• Texas Comicon on June 21 in San Antonio, TX
• Exewing Sci-Fi Day on June 30 in Beer, UK

Eric Geller of ForceCast.net posted an article on RebelScum.com that a source close to Lucasfilm confirmed the “bonus material” said to be released for The Clone Wars will consist of two story arcs, which were planned for the season six.

He also reported there was a story arc including Boba Fett plotted for season six, which we will never see. According to Geller’s source, the story arc would have wrapped up the stories for Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

This is highly disappointing, to say the least. It would have been exciting to see an older Boba Fett interact with Cad Bane and resolve lingering issues with Aurra Sing. We got to see the dynamic between these three bounty hunters in previous seasons.

Sing was a mentor to young Boba Fett in season two, and it was eluded that Bane provided the same role for Boba while imprisoned together. It would have been more than interesting to see how the dynamic would have changed the next time these three ran into each other.

Since those earlier seasons, young Boba Fett had risen to become a leader of his own little bounty hunter gang. No longer green behind the ears, would he had “fallen in line” when reunited with Sing? Would he have clashed with Bane? In fact, would Bane or Sing’s fate been at the hands of Boba, himself?

All we know for sure is Boba Fett was going to get his Mandalorian armor in season six. We also know Hondo was in possession of Slave I – newly outfitted and repainted in the color schemes we see in Empire Strikes Back. Lastly, we know planet Mandalore had fallen.

Boba Fett had evolved greatly over the episodes he showed up in. This last arc would have, in theory, fulfilled the final step in his character’s development, making him into the cold, calculating bounty hunter we saw in Empire.

Will his storyline be totally scrapped now that Disney is obviously trying to move past the prequel era in hyperdrive?

The bitter truth is, the only way we may receive the answers we’re looking for is; a) the #SaveTheCloneWars campaign works; b) the long-rumored Star Wars: Underworld project gets off the ground; c) through a standalone animated feature or live-action film.

There’s also a great disappointment for toy collectors. As reported earlier this year, the Hasbro line of Clone Wars toys is not longer being produced. Otherwise, this season could have produced a Boba Fett figure in Mandalorian armor, sculpted in the style of The Clone Wars.

Stay updated with the #SaveTheCloneWars campaign by tuning into www.savetheclonewars.com.

Also, it can’t hurt to voice your support for The Clone Wars.

Write a friendly letter to the powers that be:

• Disney Studios
  500 S Buena Vista St.
  Burbank, CA 91521 
  Attn: Bob Iger
  
• Lucasfilm
  P.O. Box 29901 
  San Francisco, CA 94129 
  Attn: Kathleen Kennedy

Earlier this month StarWars.com launched its This Is Madness Character Tournament, pitting popular characters against each other in a bracket style tourney until an ultimate winner is chosen on April 9.

Last night Boba Fett moved to the second round, after defeating Dengar by a landslide – receiving 96 percent of the votes. While exciting, the win wasn’t too surprising. Casual fans are most likely unfamiliar with the character of Dengar, unless they’ve read 90’s era Expanded Universe novels.

Today’s matchup between bounty hunters Jango Fett and Bossk will decide Boba Fett’s opponent in round two. Up until now the matches have been somewhat predictable, bearing no upsets and landslide victories, but I feel the Jango/Bossk pairing is more balanced and fair.

Boba Fett’s second round matchup will happen March 25. I imagine votes would be torn if Boba ends up going against his father – but in the end I predict a close victory by Boba. Having Boba Fett pitted against Bossk is the more interesting match to fantasize about, especially with the history between the characters developed during The Clone Wars.

Looking further at the bracket – and assuming Boba Fett walks away with a second round win – he will most likely be facing Cad Bane in the third round. This round will be a war of eras; the prequel generation carries a torch for Bane, which will weigh against the fandom of original trilogy and EU generations.

One of the biggest obstacles in Boba Fett going the distance in this tournament are a handful of jaded voters, individuals who begrudge the Mandalorian bounty hunter simply due to his popularity.

In the meantime, let’s relish in Boba Fett’s victory! This tournament may just be for entertainment, but there’s always a chance it’s a marketing tool in deciding the direction of future projects. To ensure the people at Lucasfilm and Disney realize the strong fanbase behind our favorite bounty hunter – keep campaigning for #TeamBoba!

Disney announced today it would not be going forward with anymore seasons of The Clone Wars on television.

It is still unclear whether or not they’ll release more seasons, currently in various stages of production, through DVD releases or web exclusives.

Hours after the announcement, actor Daniel Logan shared his thoughts about the cancellation via is Facebook page:

“With the announcement today of the winding down of Star Wars: The Clone Wars I just wanted to say a few things. I am very proud, honored & thankful to have been a part of The Clone Wars over the years. I want to thank George Lucas, Dave Filoni, Cary Silver, Meagan Finnerty, Tracy Cannobbio, all the cast & crew and especially the fans for making this so fun & fulfilling to be a part of. Star Wars has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 & I am thankful for all it has given me. I am sure my journey with Star Wars has many more adventures & I look forward to all that is in store for the future. There are still a few epic story arcs of The Clone Wars that will be available this year. It is some of the best work Lucasfilm Animation has produced, so stay tuned. MTFBW!”

If we look past Logan’s comments thanking the cast and crew of The Clone Wars, there’s an intriguing aside about future story arcs that will be available later this year. It’s interesting he made the remark as if it were a sure thing. My speculation is he’s referring to the rumored Boba Fett story arc that was pushed to what would have been the next season.

Earlier this year an image of Boba Fett in his Mandalorian armor was released with promotional images for this last season, but quickly removed, but not before it was snatched up by fans. Word is, the story arc showed a matured Boba Fett and how he reclaimed his father’s armor and ship – Slave I. Last we saw Slave I, it was in the possession of Hondo during the Young Jedi story arc.

What could Boba Fett’s story arc have been? Was it tied to the fall of Mandalore? The most disappointing thing about the cancelation of The Clone Wars, is we at the very least, will be delayed in seeing this tale – which could have been the most promising story arc for Boba Fett of the series.

Let’s hope they release these episodes and these questions can get answers. Comment on this post to share your speculations.

Yahoo! UK & Ireland caught up with Jeremy Bulloch during his appearance at MCM Midlands Comic and Entertainment Expo earlier this month. The interview expanded on Bulloch’s previous statements that he’s more than willing to strap on the Mandalorian gear and reprise his role as Boba Fett.

Bulloch has been very vocal about Episode VII, ever since the announcement was made last year. He’s been quoted in multiple articles, but since rumors have begun about a Boba Fett film, reporters are chopping at the bit to get their exclusive interviews.

Bulloch has had his thumb on the pulse of fans for decades, so hopefully those at Lucasfilm are listening to his input – namely, don’t bastardize the Expanded Universe. There’s very little G-level canon regarding Boba Fett. The character was introduced with great bravo around the time of Empire Strikes Back, but fans unanimously agree, the character was shafted in his treatment in Return of the Jedi.

George Lucas made up for this a little in the prequels, giving Boba Fett an engaging origin story in Attack of the Clones. Still, the story shed more light on the clones and Jango Fett than Boba. While the Clone Wars has given fans further adventures of the young Boba Fett – the majority of his story has existed in comics and books.

For thirty-some years we’ve had to rely on novels and comics to turn to Star Wars literature to get a taste of the bounty hunter. Much of what we most appreciate, love about Boba Fett comes from the Expanded Universe.

If Lucasfilm and Disney completely discard these stories and adventures, there’s a strong potential of fan backlash – if stories like Twin Engines of Destruction or the Bounty Hunter Wars are said to never have happened.

Fans are more prone to accept a compromise of two alternative timelines, which can only happen if the present Expanded Universe is continued and not retconned to fit with the film universe.

We don’t need to see an exact adaptation of the Expanded Universe, but it should at least be respected when making these films. After all, those are the stories that kept fandom alive and made these new movies possible.

Most importantly, Disney needs to redeem Boba Fett in the new films. No more defeats by blind smugglers like we saw in Return of the Jedi, or swapped in place of a slave bride as in his last appearance in Clone Wars.

The good news is Lawrence Kasdan is rumored to be the one scribing a Boba Fett film. Kasdan penned Empire Strikes Back, which was the closest film to flesh out Boba Fett in the badass fashion we’ve seen him portrayed in the Expanded Universe. Therefore, I have faith he is the man that can resurrect the character that for thirty years has had casual fans believing Boba Fett is still in the belly of the Sarlacc.

Kasdan can put the rumors to rest, Boba Fett is alive and well.

Earlier this week Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, announced during a televised interview several spinoff movies were in development. Iger said the original focus was on the sequel trilogy, but these stand alone films have been on the table since their earliest discussions.

Lucasfilm officials followed up on Feb. 5 with a press release confirming the involvement of screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. These names excited fans, as Kasdan was the scribe for not only The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also co-wrote Return of the Jedi. Kinberg has also proved himself, with blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes.

They also confirmed that two spinoff films were in development, sparking speculation throughout the Internet.

According to Feb. 6 online article by Entertainment Weekly, the films will focus on a young Han Solo and Boba Fett, respectively. They cited sources close to both projects. Of course, Lucasfilm and Disney declined to comment or confirm this information.

Entertainment Weekly reported the Boba Fett film could either take place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, or between Empire and Return of the Jedi. They added further, Temuera Morrison is the shoe in to take on the role as the infamous bounty hunter.

I have my doubts about Entertainment Weekly’s “exclusive,” because they also said there’s no indication of who may direct these films – which Lucasfilm had already announced the day previous to the column’s online publishing that the two films already have directors – Kasdan and Kinberg – why wouldn’t sources close to the projects know this?   

Since Iger made his announcement, websites have been spilling all kinds of rumors and information about the spinoff movies. However, most of these news sources that have “exclusive” information also present bogus information, like that Han Solo was a “bounty hunter with a conscious who befriended Luke Skywalker” or misspelling Lucasfilm.

I have no doubt that a Boba Fett film is being discussed behind the secretive walls of Lucasfilm and Disney, but take everything with a grain of salt, until there’s further announcements by Disney or Lucasfilm.

Today it was officially announced Disney already has plans for a number of standalone Star Wars films. Many fans are hoping a Boba Fett film will be among these projects. Here is a continuation of possible storylines for a feature film.

Pitch #3: Years after the happenings of “Return of the Jedi,” the nephew of Jabba, Gorga the Hutt, has inherited much of the crime lord’s criminal empire. He has even expanded the reach of his power. Of course, one does not gain such a fortune without making enemies – other Hutts, who believe they have a greater claim to Jabba’s windfall. One such Hutt hires Boba Fett to assassinate Gorga’s beloved wife, Orko. Filled with rage, Gorga places a bounty on Boba Fett’s head – using his control over local pirates and bounty hunters on his payroll to corner the Mandalorian. Boba Fett must go on the defense as he finds himself as the most profitable target since Han Solo. The bounty is so enticing, Boba finds himself pitted against former partners, the most dangerous being the bounty hunter named, Bossk. This story would journey through the underworld, giving rich looks at the world of the Hutts, the nastiest cantinas and pirate organizations in live action.

Pitch #4: Following the Clone Wars, the planet of Mandalore was virtually crippled. Once the Empire formed, it was further squashed as its warriors were considered a great threat if given opportunity. However, this would change with the arrival of Spar, a clone who had escaped Kamino before the wars and was one of the rare specimens who retained all memories of Jango Fett. He had been working as a bounty hunter for years, but returned to Mandalore to return the planet to its former glory. His success in reforming a Mandalorian army caught the eye of Imperial spies who feel they must end the threat before it grows too large to contain. The Empire hires Boba Fett to journey to Mandalore and infiltrate the new Mandalore Protectors, gain their trust, learn their plans and then kill Spar and anyone else who may pick up arms. Things become complicated, though, for the bounty hunter, who begins to see too much of the father he lost in the man he’s assigned to kill.