A Star Wars film about the rise and fall of Jabba the Hutt was planned to be directed by Guillermo del Toro from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Del Toro's idea for a Jabba-centric Star Wars film was first mentioned by the director in 2015, though it would not enter development until some time from 2017 to 2019. In 2023, its existence and cancellation were confirmed by Goyer and del Toro.
Director Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro spoke to Yahoo! on August 18, 2015, and stated that he would make a Star Wars film in the style of The Godfather, a film series about an organized crime family directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. He stated that the film would be about Jabba the Hutt's rise to power if he was ever given the chance to make it. Stating the idea was merely him "geeking out" and not real, he elaborated that Jabba was the character that looked the most like him, and that he liked the idea of a complex coup of a "Hutt type of mafia."
Del Toro also spoke with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he stated that he spoke to Industrial Light & Magic Chief Creative Officer John Knoll about his film idea, comparing it to Scarface, a 1983 crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma and based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail. Del Toro elaborated that his idea was due to his love for monsters, and reaffirmed the self-perceived likeness between himself and Jabba. The interview between del Toro and Horowitz was released on October 30, 2023, though it was recorded in 2015.
On September 21, 2023, David S. Goyer stated that he had written a Star Wars film to be directed by del Toro around 2019, and that it had been worked on extensively behind the scenes at Lucasfilm until its cancellation. He also stated that a lot of "cool" artwork had been made for it. Del Toro confirmed Goyer's statement on Twitter, stating that he could not say much other than the letters "J" and "BB," though also clarified it had actually been in development around 2017.
Del Toro later confirmed to Collider on October 7, 2023 that the film was about the rise and fall of Jabba. He elaborated that though much work was done on it, it was ultimately canceled and he reflects upon it as "good practice" and is not ungrateful for the opportunity—though sometimes he feels bitter about its cancellation. It was also confirmed that the deal to create the film had come about around the same time as the development of Anthology films such as the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story.