The Book Of Boba Fett Reshot A Key Scene From Attack Of The Clones
Warning: spoilers for the first episode of "The Book of Boba Fett" follow!
The show that has been over four decades in the making is finally here. Though fans were given an unexpected surprise when Temuera Morrison popped up in season 2 of "The Mandalorian" as an older, more rugged, and very much alive Boba Fett, last night's premiere of "The Book of Boba Fett" represents a dream come true for many a "Star Wars" fan. Upon the character's first canonical appearance in "The Empire Strikes Back" — although any Mandalorian lore-keeper worth their weight in beskar will know that his actual introduction took place during the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special" a few years before – audiences were immediately taken by the bounty hunter's distinctive (and dare we say iconic) armor, that pervasive aura of mystery surrounding him, and the instant cool factor that comes when none other than Darth Vader needs to remind him to chill out with one memorable line: "No disintegrations."
Of course, the release of another Disney+ "Star Wars" series means a fresh batch of new and surprising details to dig into, and the first episode of "The Book of Boba Fett," titled "Chapter One: Stranger in a Strange Land," continues that fine tradition. It's no spoiler to say that "The Book of Boba Fett" immediately catches viewers up on Boba Fett's past history in the universe, which includes his earliest in-universe appearance as a mere child in "Attack of the Clones." What's really interesting, however, is the fact that the first episode doesn't merely include a flashback to previously-seen moments from the 2002 "Star Wars" prequel ... it also includes lightly reshot footage specifically filmed for "The Book of Boba Fett."
Again, read on for detailed spoilers for the premiere of "The Book of Boba Fett."
Back to the Beginning
After years of the "Star Wars" prequels being treated as the butt of constant jokes, the post-Disney takeover of a galaxy far, far away has slowly but steadily reintegrated the divisive films into ongoing stories. Most (in)famously, "The Rise of Skywalker" brought back Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine himself ... somehow. But "The Mandalorian," the upcoming "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, and other "Star Wars" media have made even greater strides in referencing that trilogy of maligned films. This trend comes to a head in "The Book of Boba Fett," beginning with the bounty hunter-turned-crime lord reliving some unpleasant memories while submerged in a regenerative bacta tank. Not only do we get flashes of Boba's early life on the waterworld of Kamino, but we then jump to the enduring image of a young Boba (Daniel Logan) cradling the familiar-looking helmet of his dead father, Jango (portrayed at the time by Temuera Morrison, thanks to all that cloning business), on the battlefield on Geonosis. But things look slightly different this time around, adding more of a personal touch for Boba Fett's unique origins.
In a neat development, director Robert Rodriguez and writer/creator Jon Favreau went a step further. Not only do we see scenes lifted directly from "Attack of the Clones," but a keen observation of the credits at the end of the episode confirms that some of these flashbacks were comprised of reshot footage, as well. Several Twitter users noticed the same thing, calling attention to the separate credits for both Daniel Logan, who originally portrayed young Boba Fett in "Attack of the Clones," and one for a young Boba double, as well. The Cinematic Captures Twitter account posted a helpful comparison between the original scene and the repurposed, reshot footage for "The Book of Boba Fett," detailing the small but important differences between the two. Check it out below.
Attack of the Clones // The Book of Boba Fett pic.twitter.com/z3A0CkuxUX
— Cinematic Captures (@CineCaptures) December 29, 2021
Given how the episode dedicates almost equal screen time to both the present storyline and Boba Fett's memories of escaping the Sarlacc pitt, we can likely expect more return visits, however brief, to young Boba Fett's adventures in the Prequels. There's plenty of gaps to fill in based on where "The Book of Boba Fett" takes place in the "Star Wars" timeline, so we'll just have to wait and see how future episodes unfold. In the meantime, "Chapter One" of "The Book of Boba Fett" is currently streaming on Disney+.