Summary
- Guillermo Del Toro was working on a Star Wars project centered around Jabba the Hutt, but it was ultimately canceled.
- Del Toro expressed his disappointment but maintained a pragmatic view, appreciating the experience and learning opportunities.
- Despite the cancellation, fans can still speculate on what a Del Toro-designed Jabba would have been like and hope for future collaborations.
Famed director Guillermo del Toro was this close to bringing his uniquely surreal style into the Star Wars universe. But it turns out fate had other plans. Now, the man behind The Shape of Water and Pacific Rim has finally broken his silence on this unfortunately canceled project, giving Star Wars fans one more thing to lament.
Del Toro is known for his excellent creature work, and a franchise like Star Wars is perfect for something like that. Even just the cantina scene in 1977's A New Hope introduced a more eclectic assortment of beings than most entire series to this day. So it should be no surprise that not only was del Toro working on a Star Wars project at one point, but it was also going to be about one of the most infamous grotesque aliens in the entire galaxy: Jabba the Hutt.
In an interview with Collider, del Toro finally revealed some of the details behind the canceled movie, and it turns out he was just as disappointed to lose it as the fans likely are right now. "We had the rise and fall of Jabba the Hutt, so I was super happy," he revealed before lamenting the ultimate cancelation of the project. "We were doing a lot of stuff, and then it's not my property, it's not my money, and then it's one of those 30 screenplays that goes away. Sometimes I'm bitter, sometimes I'm not. I always turn to my team and say, 'Good practice, guys. Good practice. We designed a great world. We designed great stuff. We learned.'"
It seems the man who brought on the paranormal romance of The Shape of Water still has a pragmatic view despite being invested in the Jabba the Hutt story. "You can never be ungrateful with life," del Toro continued. "Whatever life sends you, there's something to be learned from it. So, you know, I trust the universe, I do. When something doesn't happen, I go, 'Why?' I try to have a dialogue with myself. 'Why didn't it happen?' And the more you swim upstream with the universe, the less you're gonna realize where you're going."
Despite recently creating a surprisingly heartwarming take on Pinocchio, del Toro's filmography tends to tilt more towards the twisted side of things. So, after seeing what someone like Tony Gilroy pulled off with the genuinely amazing Andor series, seeing what the Pan's Labyrinth director could bring to Star Wars is positively enticing. Unfortunately, that's not how things shook out, but considering what the franchise has managed to pull off in the past, it may be practical to avoid saying "never."
Del Toro's best films may often be where he has complete creative control, which doesn't feel like something Star Wars would do for someone as eclectic as him. So, perhaps canceling this project was a blessing in disguise. Still, it's hard not to think about what might have been. A del Toro-designed Jabba would be one heck of a spectacle.
Source: Collider