Temuera Morrison Is Starring In His Own Star Wars Show, And We Need To Talk About How Cool That Is

We were just treated to the first trailer for "The Book of Boba Fett," the upcoming Disney+ show that will finally give that mysterious bounty hunter a chance in the spotlight after decades of being one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters. It's a big deal, to say the very least. But one of the biggest deals is that Temuera Morrison, who originally joined the franchise to play Jango Fett in "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," is getting the opportunity to be front-and-center for a huge project like this. Not only is this cool for fans who appreciate what it means in terms of honoring the franchise's past, but it's also really cool for an actor like Morrison to finally get a leading man opportunity like this after working for decades in the business.

A Working Man's Actor

Even though Morrison had the chance to be a part of one of the biggest franchises of all time, he has largely been a working man's actor in the years before, and in the years after, his debut in a galaxy far, far away. An actor of Maori descent from New Zealand, Morrison got his start in the '80s in shows like "Seekers" and "Adventurer." He then continued to work his way through the business, eventually starring in the movie "Never Say Die" in 1988. While Morrison often excelled on screen, he rarely had the opportunity to lead an entire movie. However, a personal favorite credit of mind is his turn as The Hangman in 1999's "From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter."

1994's "Once Were Warriors" is a rare example of the actor taking a lead role, and the film is still considered, critically speaking, to be a career highlight for him. Beyond that, we frequently saw him pop up in supporting roles across Hollywood, including ill-fated blockbusters like "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Speed 2: Cruise Control," and "Green Lantern." One could even argue that "Attack of the Clones" is a little unfortunate, in that it is widely considered to be one of the worst live-action "Star Wars" movies among fans. But the man continues to grind, having appeared more recently in movies like "Aquaman" and "Dora and the Lost City of Gold." He's always working, and always understands the assignment. He's never given a bad performance, even in a bad movie. Seeing this kind of working actor get a chance to take on leading man status is what movie nerds like us live for. 

Respecting The Star Wars Canon

Boba Fett, rather remarkably, became one of the most beloved characters in the "Star Wars" canon despite having mere minutes of actual screen time ever since his live-action debut in "The Empire Strikes Back." Live-action is an important distinction, as he did appear in animated form in the "Star Wars Holiday Special."

That all changed when it was revealed the character would return after seemingly meeting his demise in "Return of the Jedi" back in 1983, with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni resurrecting Boba Fett within "The Mandalorian" season 2. What's more, they tapped Morrison to portray the older version of the character, which made a great deal of sense when looking at the canon established within the universe. "Attack of the Clones" revealed that Boba Fett was a perfect clone of his father, Jango Fett, who was used as a model for the clone army. The difference is that Boba was not given the advanced aging tweak, which is why it made a lot of sense to see an older Morrison portraying Boba, as he would look identical to his late father, who was beheaded by Mace Windu.

The fact that Favreau and Filoni opted to go with Morrison, surely knowing that this appearance in "The Mandalorian" was going to pave the way for "The Book of Boba Fett," was bold in some ways. Clearly, given the character's popularity, it would have been easy to get a big-name actor to take up the mantle, and from a studio perspective, one has to imagine that was discussed. But the fact that Morrison, the logical choice for the role, is our guy, demonstrates the commitment that Favreau and Filoni have to get this stuff right. So, not only is it cool that Morrison, after all these years, finally gets his day in the twin suns, but it's cool that his moment also makes a great deal of sense within the "Star Wars" canon. This is the way.

"The Book of Boba Fett" is set to debut on Disney+ on December 29.

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