James Mangold’s New Deal Could Upend Star Wars and DC Plans

James Mangold just signed a new deal with Paramount, and yes, the timing has Star Wars and DC fans looking at their calendars like, cool, so when exactly are those other movies supposed to happen?

The new Mangold-Paramount thing

Per The Wrap, Mangold has inked a fresh deal with Paramount, coming on the heels of their first announced collaboration, a project called 'High Side.' Paramount execs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein basically rolled out the red carpet, calling Mangold one of the best filmmakers working and saying they’re thrilled to kick things off with 'High Side' and keep going from there. Mangold, for his part, said he’s fired up about the partnership and praised the studio’s theatrical focus and enthusiasm for his ideas.

Why people are suddenly worried about Star Wars

Mangold is attached to make a Star Wars film set at the dawn of the Jedi. That movie was unveiled in 2023, and since then... crickets. In January, he told MovieWeb that the story goes way back in the timeline:

It takes place 25,000 years before any known Star Wars movies.

He also said it’s the kind of mythic, early-days Star Wars story he’s wanted to tackle since he was a teenager. Sounds great. Still no concrete updates since.

And about Swamp Thing...

DC co-CEO James Gunn previously announced Mangold for the Swamp Thing movie. But in July 2025, Gunn reportedly said he hadn’t received a script from Mangold yet. Translation: that one’s still early days too.

So what does the Paramount deal actually mean?

• Paramount: The new deal starts with 'High Side,' so expect Mangold to spend real time there first.
• Star Wars: The 'dawn of the Jedi' film is still in development with no recent public milestones. Lucasfilm tends to play the long game, but this could nudge the timeline.
• Swamp Thing: If there wasn’t a script in Gunn’s hands as of July 2025, that project is likely further back in line than fans might hope.

Inside baseball: studio deals like this don’t automatically cancel a director’s other gigs, but they do rearrange priorities. If Paramount’s paying, Paramount’s calling. Until we see a dated schedule or a script handoff, assume Star Wars and Swamp Thing are still happening, just not soon-soon.

Bottom line: cool news for Mangold’s slate, less thrilling if you were counting the days to ancient-Jedi lore or a big, weird DC horror fantasy. I’ll update as soon as someone puts a date on anything.