By George & Josh Bate
As is tradition in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars movies and shows often receive official art books in the months following their release. And The Mandalorian and Grogu is no exception.
Written by Phil Szostak and published by Abrams Books, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu serves as the official behind-the-scenes companion to the recently released Star Wars film. The book takes fans behind the scenes of the first theatrically released Star Wars film in seven years, with concept art, sketches, and interviews with key creatives.
Amidst the stunning artwork, The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu offers a number of fascinating insights about the film and Star Wars more generally. One of these insights reveals that one of the most iconic and beloved planets in a galaxy far, far away almost played a prominent role in the film.
Before deciding upon creating Shakari as the planet on which Rotta the Hutt was participating in gladiator duels, Jon Favreau and the creative team considered another location: Coruscant. More specifically, Level 1313, the lawless, subterranean slum located 1,313 levels down from the core center of the planet-city that was going to be the focus of a cancelled video game.
But why did Favreau and company ultimately opt against using Coruscant in the film? Now Co-President of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni, who also co-wrote and did second unit direction on The Mandalorian and Grogu, advised against using Coruscant in the film. Filoni argued that the New Republic government is based on Coruscant and, as such, if they were trying to retrieve Rotta the Hutt from the criminal underworld, they would have just sent their own military forces, rather than recruiting a bounty hunter for hire.
This is not the first time that Coruscant was considered for inclusion in a Star Wars feature film in the Disney era. Initially, Coruscant was excluded from The Force Awakens to shift the narrative focus away from centralized galactic politics and make room for new visual locations. In early development for Episode IX, director Colin Trevorrow’s script for Duel of the Fates heavily featured Coruscant as Lucasfilm reportedly restricted its use in other projects as to preserve its fate for the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga.
Despite only appearing briefly in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Coruscant has not been fully realized in a live-action feature Star Wars film since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. That being said, the planet has featured prominently in television, namely in Andor and The Acolyte, in addition to parts of The Mandalorian Season 3.
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu offers a glimpse of what could have been for the recently released Star Wars film in a number of ways, including how one of the franchise’s most notable locations almost featured in a sizable role.
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is now available.
