Carl Weathers Sadly Never Got To Direct His Dream Star Wars Project
How many acting legends get the chance to bring a single character to life that goes on to define their entire career ... let alone multiple ones? We were blessed to be alive at the same time that Carl Weathers was doing his thing as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" franchise, the doomed CIA agent Al Dillon in "Predator," and most recently the helpful ally and magistrate Greef Karga in "The Mandalorian." Sadly, he will no longer add to his unbelievable list of credits as the news broke that Weathers has passed away at the age of 76. But as much as the acting icon made the absolute most of his time on Earth, there is at least one dream job of his that will now forever remain unfulfilled.
The best part about Carl Weathers' casting throughout his appearances on "The Mandalorian" was that we could genuinely tell that it wasn't merely a paycheck gig for him. That was clear enough from his energetic performance as Din Djarin's right-hand man Greef Karga, but he also went the extra mile to step behind the camera and direct a pair of episodes of the show — both of which are commonly considered to be among its best. So when the season 3 finale was approaching back in 2023, it should hardly feel surprising that he had at least one item on his "Star Wars"-themed bucket list.
According to Weathers, he would've loved to direct and star in his own Greef Karga spin-off film.
What could've been
"The Mandalorian" has become something of a spin-off factory, serving as a series of backdoor pilots to "The Book of Boba Fett," "Ahsoka," and even the upcoming "The Mandalorian & Grogu" feature film. With so many spinning plates in the air, it actually wouldn't have felt all that unreasonable for a relatively minor character like Carl Weathers' Greef Karga step into the spotlight himself. That was once Weathers' hope, at least, when he was put on the spot last year. While talking to Hypebeast, Weathers was asked about his directing duties on "Star Wars" and whether he had a specific story he'd want to direct. In response, he said:
"That's tough. My initial response would be — in a selfish way — that I would love to direct a movie that centers around Greef Karga, covering his journey as High Magistrate of Nevarro. I love the issues of the pirates, Empire, resurgences, Moff Gideon — there's so much good stuff in there. Those elements would be fantastic to put into one screenplay to see where Greef Karga ultimately winds up."
While the High Magistrate likely wouldn't end up on anyone's Mount Rushmore of favorite "Star Wars" characters, who wouldn't want an excuse to have as much Carl Weathers as they could? The star went on to describe his ideal arc for such a story, following the character in his younger years. "Diving into those formative teenage years, watching him learn both bad habits and good ones. See what transpires as a result of that as we build the man that we see today," as he put it.
That simply wasn't meant to be and with Weathers' passing, "The Mandalorian" — and pop culture overall — has another hole that cannot be filled. Rest in peace, Carl.