James Mangold’s Star Wars Movie Asks Where The Force Was Born

James Mangold reveals what inspired his new movie, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi. During the Lucasfilm Showcase at Star Wars Celebration, three new movies were announced, including one set further back in the past than ever before. Mangold’s film will be set 25,000 years in the past and could explore the origins of the first Jedi as well as their connection to the Force.

Screen Rant spoke with Mangold after the Lucasfilm Showcase panel at Star Wars Celebration about his upcoming Star Wars movie, Dawn of the Jedi. He revealed what inspired him to tell this story during this period of Star Wars. Mangold also shared his filmmaking philosophy and what he believes should be at the center of every movie. Check out what Mangold has to say about Dawn of the Jedi below:

The idea of where it all started. To make a Star Wars Zero, if you will. “Where was the Force born?” To me a movie always has to have a question to answer. Some singular thing that you can say it’s about. Not just connecting plot of who built this when and who’s gonna defeat, but what’s it about? And to me this is about this discovery.

James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi Tells the Origin Story of The Force

The three new Star Wars movies span different eras, with Dawn of the Jedi set centuries in the past, The Mandalorian movie set in the New Republic as a culmination of the Disney Plus series, and A New Jedi Order set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. Star Wars is beginning to delve into different eras with Dawn of the Jedi, The Acolyte, and A New Jedi Order, but Dawn of the Jedi could reveal secrets that change the very foundation of Star Wars canon. Mangold’s desire to explore the earliest days of the Force and the Jedi opens the door to a deeper understanding of the Force and the principles that the Jedi were built on.

Related: All 3 Star Wars Movie Announcements: Story, Timeline, Cast, Directors & More

Dawn of the Jedi will be the second time Mangold collaborates with Lucasfilm on one of their biggest properties after directing the final chapter of Indiana Jones. The question that started it all, “Where did the Force come from?” is at the heart of Star Wars. Mangold has shown the ability to approach big franchises, like Logan, from a new perspective.

Unlike The Mandalorian movie and A New Jedi Order, Mangold’s movie could alter the fundamental understanding of what Jedi believe and how the Force works. While The Acolyte examines the dark side of the Force like never before, Dawn of the Jedi could look at the Force as neither light nor dark but simply as it is before it has been touched by other beings. Dawn of the Jedi can tackle it from a more spiritual and philosophical point of view and potentially reintroduce concepts about the Force that George Lucas himself was tinkering with for his planned sequel trilogy.