‘The Mandalorian’: Temuera Morrison Talks Incorporating Maori Culture and Plays Coy About Reprising Boba Fett Role Anytime Soon

Last Friday, we finally got to see the true return of Boba Fett thanks to The Mandalorian episode directed by Robert Rodriguez, which saw Jango Fett actor Temuera Morrison inhabit the role and give him a coolness factor he didn’t get with the original trilogy as he was a much more effective warrior.

The Maori actor talked to The New York Times about how he added his culture to the role and played super coy about reprising the Boba Fett anytime soon despite reports from Deadline that a project is currently filming focused the bounty hunter.

MORRISON: “I come from the Maori nation of New Zealand, the Indigenous people — we’re the Down Under Polynesians — and I wanted to bring that kind of spirit and energy, which we call wairua. I’ve been trained in my cultural dance, which we call the haka. I’ve also been trained in some of our weapons, so that’s how I was able to manipulate some of the weapons in my fight scenes and work with the gaffi stick, which my character has.”

MORRISON: “I’m just going to have to wait and see. I think a lot of it depends on how things go with this season, but I don’t really know. I wanted to bring everything I had to that [episode] and give them a glimmer of what I can offer. There’s room for this to go someplace. I hope I’m going to be included.”

Boba Fett mentions in the episode that his father Jango Fett was a foundling that eventually fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars, re-establishing the pair as “real Mandalorians” after it had been alluded that the pair were grifters pretending to be Mandalorians. The image upgrade could have something to do with this Boba Fett project that is apparently shooting but it remains to be seen where in the Star Wars timeline the show will take place.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

Temuera Morrison’s Agency Confirms He Is Playing Boba Fett In ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

It looks like Boba Fett’s return is now confirmed for The Mandalorian!

The credit and listing comes from a portal from Temuera Morrison’s New Zealand agency Robert Bruce Agency that links to a CV on Showcast (the latter spotted by Making Star Wars) where it clearly states his role is Boba Fett on the series. This is more official than a random website since his own agency is putting this CV together on his behalf.

This would confirm The Hollywood Reporter‘s original report from May that Morrison was playing Boba Fett.

Given Morrison’s age there is an expectation this could be a voice over role given that Boba Fett wouldn’t be pushing 60 as the timeline of the series takes place five years after the events of Star Wars: Return of The Jedi. That is unless they attempt to de-age the actor digitally.

People have suggested he would be playing Rex from Clone Wars and Rebels because he would be the right age, but this listing says the role is specifically Fett.

In May, it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Justified actor Timothy Olyphant joined the series and Slash Film mentioned that he filmed scenes in the Boba Fett armor suggesting the role could be playing Cobb Vanth. Some people believed this was the character approaching Fennec Shand on Tatooine at the end of The Gunslinger.

Our sources have confirmed to us that Olyphant filmed scenes wearing Boba Fett’s Mandalorian armor for the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian. 

Vanth is the self-appointed sheriff of the Tatooine-based settlement Freetown. He wears a mysterious set of Mandalorian armor that was acquired from Jawas who scavenged the wreckage of Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. 

The second season will begin airing on Disney+ starting October 30th.

Eagle-eyed fans also spotted the Boba Fett armor on the back of Mando’s speeder in the trailer.

The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a dangerous galaxy in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire.

SOURCE: ROBERT BRUCE AGENCY/SHOWCAST