A Star Wars movie, which would have explored the ascent and decline of Jabba the Hutt, was once in the works with Guillermo del Toro slated to direct from a script penned by David S. Goyer. The concept for a Star Wars film centered around Jabba was initially voiced by del Toro back in 2015. However, its development phase occurred between 2017 and 2019. In 2023, both Goyer and del Toro verified its existence and subsequent abandonment.
On August 18, 2015, Guillermo del Toro told Yahoo! that, given the opportunity, he would create a Star Wars movie reminiscent of The Godfather. The Godfather is a film saga about a mafia family, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and drawing from the 1969 novel of the same title by Mario Puzo. He expressed that the film would delve into the rise of Jabba the Hutt to prominence. He clarified that the idea was just him "geeking out" and not a serious plan, adding that Jabba bore the closest resemblance to him and that he was drawn to the idea of a complicated coup within a "Hutt type of mafia."
In a conversation with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, del Toro also mentioned discussing his film concept with Industrial Light & Magic's Chief Creative Officer, John Knoll, likening it to Scarface. Scarface is a 1983 crime film helmed by Brian De Palma, adapted from the 1929 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail. Del Toro explained that his concept stemmed from his affection for monsters and reiterated the perceived similarity between him and Jabba. The del Toro and Horowitz interview, though recorded in 2015, was made available on October 30, 2023.
On September 21, 2023, David S. Goyer revealed that he had written a Star Wars film for del Toro to direct around 2019. He stated that the project was actively developed behind the scenes at Lucasfilm before it was ultimately scrapped. He also mentioned the creation of a significant amount of "cool" artwork for the film. Del Toro corroborated Goyer's statement on Twitter, only hinting at the project with the letters "J" and "BB," while also specifying that its development actually began around 2017.
Del Toro later informed Collider on October 7, 2023, that the film would have depicted Jabba's rise to power and eventual downfall. He elaborated that, despite considerable effort, the film was canceled, and he views the experience as "good practice," expressing gratitude for the opportunity, although he sometimes feels disappointed about its cancellation. It was also confirmed that the agreement to produce the film coincided with the development of Anthology films like the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story.