The Book of Boba Fett: release date, cast and what will happen in the Star Wars spin-off on Disney+

Star Wars fans are certainly well catered for in the years to come, with a multitude of series and films coming to Disney+.

The Book of Boba Fett is one of them, revealed at the tail end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian – and it’s got fans’ tongues wagging.

But what exactly is it, and when can you look forward to watching it?

Here is everything you need to know.

What is The Book of Boba Fett?

Mild spoilers here for anyone who hasn’t seen to the very end of the credits of The Mandalorian Season 2’s finale...

Following a fittingly sombre final credits sequence (none of that amazingly colourful concept art this time around), a post-credits tease rolled which showed Boba Fett infiltrating Jabba the Hutt’s palace, and dethroning Bib Fortuna.

As he and Fennec sat back, sipping on Spotchka, viewers were greeted with the words: “The Book of Boba Fett”.

This wasn’t a project that had been revealed with Disney’s Investor Day dump, and fans were originally confused as to what it meant for The Mandalorian going forward.

Was this an entirely new, standalone project featuring the original trilogy’s famed bounty hunter? Or would the focus of The Mandalorian be shifting over to Fett for Season 3?

Favreau confirmed that The Book of Boba Fett will indeed be its own thing, speaking on the US’ Good Morning America and stating that the project is “actually separate from The Mandalorian Season 3.”

The reason that The Book of Boba Fett was not announced when other spin-off series were, is because producers were keen to avoid spoiling the surprise post-credits sequence at the end of The Mandalorian’s Season 2 finale.

The spin-off joins two other announced ‘Mando’ spin-offs; Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka.

Rangers of the New Republic is a live-action series, as is Ahsoka, which follows the story of Jedi Ahsoka Tano featured in The Mandalorian - both series come from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni and areset within the timeline of The Mandalorian.

What will happen in The Book of Boba Fett?

It's unclear just exactly what events will take place in The Book of Boba Fett, but it has been confirmed that the series takes place within the same, post-Return of the Jedi time frame as The Mandalorian.

The character of Boba Fett was first seen on the big screen in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, as one of six bounty hunters assembled by Darth Vader to track down and capture the crew of the Millennium Falcon.

He was seen again in Return of the Jedi in Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine, and on his sail, from which he falls into a Sarlacc's mouth to find “a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years.”

Perhaps The Book of Boba Fett will explain just how he managed to escape certain death?

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has said the series will exist within The Mandalorian's timeline, with it and other announced Mando spin-offs planned to culminate in a "climactic story event".

Who will star in it?

New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison returns to reprise his role as Boba Fett, while Ming-Na Wen is also back to appear as Fennec Shand, a character first introduced in The Mandalorian.

Morrison first entered the Star Wars universe in 2002, when he portrayed Boba's father Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones.

Since Boba Fett is technically a clone of his father, it makes sense that Morrison is able to return as an older descendant of the character he first played nearly 20 years ago, and the actor has already voiced Boba in existing Star Wars spin-offs.

As for who else might appear in the series, no further details have yet been confirmed by Disney.

When will The Book of Boba Fett be released?

Fett is aiming for a December 2021 release date, and has already begun filming.

What other Star Wars series have been announced?

Fans of the Star Wars franchise were treated to an early Christmas present on 10 December, as Disney confirmed a multitude of new spin-off series, with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy sending shockwaves through the galaxy.

One of the shows, Obi-Wan Kenobi, will see Hayden Christensen reprise the role of Darth Vadar alongside prequel co-star Ewan McGregor, while Lando will follow the events of scoundrel Lando Calrissian.

Diego Luna will return to play rebel spy Cassian Andor, introduced in Rogue One, in Andor – set to arrive in 2022 – and The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller set in the final days of the High Republic.

There will also be three animations: The Bad Batch, which follows a group of rogue Stormtroopers from The Clone Wars; Visions, a series of short films; and A Droid Story, featuring a new droid alongside R2D2 and C3PO.

Disney will also revisit Willow – a fan favourite Ewok – in a new series starring Warwick Davis.