James Mangold's Star Wars Movie to Be Co-Written by House of Cards Creator

It has been nearly a year since Lucasfilm announced its plans for the future of Star Wars movies, unveiling a number of blockbuster projects at their Star Wars Celebration convention. One of the most intriguing movies on that list has been tied to Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold, which is expected to chronicle the very early days of the Force and the Jedi. Updates on the movie, which is reportedly operating under a working title of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, have been scarce — until now. On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that House of Cards creator Beau Willimon is expected to co-write the script for Dawn of the Jedi with Mangold. Willimon is no stranger to the Star Wars universe, having worked on three episodes of the first season of the Star Wars: Andor Disney+ series, which ultimately earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Although Dawn of the Jedi does not have a release date, the report indicates that Mangold is "expected" to focus on the film after he completes work on his Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown. Mangold is also attached to write and direct a live-action Swamp Thing movie for James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios.

What Is James Mangold's Star Wars Movie About?

Plot specifics surrounding Dawn of the Jedi currently remain under wraps, outside of the fact that the film will be set 25,000 years before any of the events covered by the Star Wars franchise thus far. Mangold has teased that his aspirations for the film are to tell a story that can stand on its own from the established canon.

"When I talk to some of the Star Wars clerics who keep track of all these timelines, I was like, 'So when would this have happened?' and they were like, '25,000 years before Episode I.' And I was like, 'Oh, I was looking for some distance, but that's distance,'" Mangold joked in an interview last year. "The reality, for me, was that feeling of space, pun not intended but apropos, was something that I felt was really important. Not to get away from -- again, fan service or the intricacies of what George [Lucas] has set up and dreamed of, but to just have the space to tell a story and not be instantly encumbered by the bases you have to hit. Which, honestly, there's no way to explain it to folks other than to say it's like that game we played as kids, Twister, that at a certain point, you're in a tangle because you just are trying to find a way to tell a story with so many constraints that you can't."

What Is the Next Star Wars Movie?

Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy, The Mandalorian and Grogu will follow the ongoing adventures of Din Djarin / The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and his pint-sized ward, Grogu. The film is confirmed to have a release date of May 22, 2026.

"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau shared in a statement. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."

"Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, added.

What do you think of the latest update surrounding James Mangold's Star Wars movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!