The S2 finale of The Mandalorian included a tantalizing post-credits scene that served as an announcement for a spinoff series, The Book of Boba Fett. The series stars Temuera Morrison (Attack of the Clones, Aquaman) as the titular bounty hunter, and Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as the mercenary and assassin Fennec Shand, who works for him. Disney just dropped the official trailer, giving us our first look at what we can expect from this latest project from showrunner Jon Favreau.

(Spoilers for the S2 finale of The Mandalorian below.)

A spinoff film featuring Boba Fett had been in development at Disney as far back as 2013, but then 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story proved to be a box office disappointment for the studio. Disney’s strategy shifted to spinoff series for its streaming platform, Disney+, beginning with The Mandalorian. That series was a commercial and critical success, winning over audiences with the relationship between Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian and the Child (aka Grogu, although some still think of him as Baby Yoda).

Boba Fett appeared briefly in the S1 episode, “The Gunslinger,” along with Fennec, returning in S2 for a much larger role. In the finale, he played a pivotal role in rescuing Grogu from Moff Gideon, tricking the Imperials into allowing his cohorts to land in a cruiser’s fighter launch tube. Fans went wild over Mark Hamill’s surprise cameo as a (digitally de-aged) Luke Skywalker, who takes Grogu with him to complete his Jedi training. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Grogu and the Mandalorian made their farewells. The aforementioned post-credits scene showed Boba Fett and Fennec invading Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine, which is pretty much where the new series picks up.

Favreau has said that The Book of Boba Fett takes place in the same timeline as The Mandalorian, jokingly dubbing it “The Mandalorian season 2.5.” But other than that, the studio has been pretty mum about the details. Per the official premise:

The Book of Boba Fett, a thrilling Star Wars adventure teased in a surprise end-credit sequence following the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, finds legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigating the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.

In addition to Morrison and Wen, Jennifer Beals is the only other cast member officially confirmed, although nothing is known about her character. The trailer opens with a shot of Boba Fett in full Mandalorian gear, donning his iconic helmet. The people of Tatooine might prefer a bounty hunter to Jabba the Hutt—including those who are part of the underworld. “Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect,” we hear Boba say. But first he’ll need to earn that respect.

We see Boba and Fennec meet with former captains under Jabba to propose a mutually beneficial arrangement that will make them all rich, with no need for pointless conflicts. The captains aren’t initially convinced: “What prevents us all from killing you and taking what we want?” Well, between the two, Boba and Fennec possess some pretty impressive combat skills, so that should serve as one preventative measure. Otherwise, the trailer reveals very little in the way of plot. But the same team brought us the wonderful Mandalorian series, and Morrison and Wen are both terrific performers playing fan-favorite characters, so we’re inclined to reserve judgment until the series actually airs.

The Book of Boba Fett debuts on Disney+ on December 28, 2021.

Listing image by Disney+

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