A long time ago, in a boardroom probably somewhere in California, Disney purchased Lucasfilm. The 2012 acquisition allowed the world of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows to develop into what it is today, expanding the Skywalker Saga and all adjacent concerns to a grander scale. Even in the light of that empire building, and 11 years after that buyout took place, the story I want to see told the most in this storied franchise is still waiting to become a reality.
We’re Still Missing Guillermo Del Toro’s Hutt Family Epic
I know, some of you out there are probably saying that you can’t miss a project if it never happened. To that, I say you’re clearly not a fan of the great and honorable Guillermo del Toro, a filmmaker who has a graveyard of unrealized projects that includes the lamentably canceled Silent Hills video game, as well as movies like At the Mountains of Madness.
There are a ton of movies that the Academy Award winner hasn’t been able to tackle. Somehow, even after becoming a fan-favorite creative force who manages to walk the beautiful line between screams and tears, Mr. del Toro is still rejected by studios.
We can talk about how this should be punishable by law another time, but as I was reminded by a recent interview, Guillermo del Toro had a pitch to tell the story of the Hutt crime family. After reminiscing about this prospect in honor of the Disney/Lucasfilm merger’s anniversary, it only makes me more upset that it still hasn’t happened yet.
What Guillermo Del Toro Wanted To Do With His Jabba The Hutt Pitch
Picture this: what if The Godfather took place in the Star Wars universe, with the rise and fall of Jabba the Hutt front and center? That’s kind of what I’ve envisioned after reading the pitch he laid out for Collider during a recent screening of Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D.
Was it necessary for me to mention the format of this screening? Technically no, but considering the heyday of the Sequel Trilogy and spinoffs like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story played in that very sandbox, it only makes me more excited in what could have been.
Judging by the man’s track record, Guillermo del Toro’s Star Wars movie could be a visually lush adventure into the darker corners of this galaxy far, far away. Naturally there aren’t a lot of details that are available for this project, or what it would have entailed. But even with just a basic pitch of Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt Family’s history of vile behavior, it’s something that I think people would easily watch.
How Far Did Guillermo Del Toro’s Star Wars Pitch Get?
This untitled Star Wars spinoff project got to what I feel is a pretty advanced stage, as there is a script for the rise and fall of Jabba the Hutt. Confirmed by Foundation’s David S. Goyer during his chat with Happy Sad Confused’s Josh Horowitz, Goyer had two unrealized Star Wars projects that are now floating in corporate controlled space.
Oh, and there’s supposedly “a lot of cool artwork” also waiting to be protected from the sands of time. The cause of death for this project, according to David S. Goyer, was “a lot of behind [the scenes] stuff going on at Lucasfilm.” Which again, feels like it was a response to the fan pressure exerted after the mixed reaction to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. That's not confirmed by any stretch, but it is a theory I'm heavily invested in.
Why I Still Really Want Guillermo Del Toro To Put His Stamp On Star Wars
I know there are tons of tales involving every Star Wars movie we were supposed to get since Disney bought Lucasfilm, and Guillermo del Toro’s fabled Hutt epic isn’t a stranger in that respect. At the same time, the concept is one of the things I think the franchise needs to embrace more than it has: it’s a non-heroic tale that doesn’t closely involve the Skywalker Saga.
Save for the pieces of the Original Trilogy narrative where Jabba the Hutt intersects, you can very easily tell this story without needing to go back to the well of The Force. That above all else is the one thing I value, besides the fact that Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer could craft a narrative that compels the audience to observe and maybe even root for Jabba at some points.
The Star Wars underworld is still a vast world that hasn’t totally been explored in the cinematic or televised corners of this universe, with a lot of those efforts coming from books or video games. However, there’s one last hope that I have to express here, as I continue to want Disney to move past its own comfort zone and into projects such as these.
If Guillermo del Toro’s Jabba the Hutt saga were a hit, it would more than likely need to tie into both a potential Solo sequel, as well as the Lando movie Donald Glover is developing. With those three projects, a cinematic universe of criminality would exist in the Star Wars franchise, which could also help cook up even more special events ranging from Disney+ series to theme park attractions.
Obviously Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer have moved onto other projects in their careers. The former is getting ready to make his Frankenstein adaptation for Netflix, while the latter continues to forge ahead on Foundation’s eight-season plan for Apple TV+. So it’s not like these men are longing for something to do with their creative lives.
At the same time, if Kathleen Kennedy and the Lucasfilm brass were to approach them both with a chance to resurrect this Star Wars crime saga, I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked it all back up again. Then again, that’s exactly what I’m hoping will happen, as this idea is too developed to just sit gathering dust in an archive.
So maybe the waiting game will actually benefit us fans who'd like to take a break from lightsabers and get back to stories with odd creatures, blaster fights and nary a Jedi insight. Star Wars fans, if you’re looking for something to entertain you from that galaxy far, far away, a Disney+ subscription is all you need. Though if you happen to want to see this Guillermo del Toro project as much as I do, you might want to start making some noise on the internet. It certainly couldn't hurt.
