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Two major books based on Star Wars‘ The Mandalorian have now been canceled. One is The Mandalorian Ultimate Visual Guide and the other is Adam Christopher’s The Mandalorian Original Novel. Here’s a look at why they were canceled and fans’ reactions.
Adam Christopher’s Original Novel Is Canceled
Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, just announced that it’s canceling author Adam Christopher’s The Mandalorian Original Novel. The announcement was made on Twitter on March 9.
We love working with author Adam Christopher (@ghostfinder) and are already working with him on a different book. We’re excited to share details with you in the future.
Del Rey Books wrote: “Due to the ever-expanding world of The Mandalorian, we will no longer be publishing THE MANDALORIAN ORIGINAL NOVEL at this time, as the story continues to unfold on screen… We love working with author Adam Christopher (@ghostfinder) and are already working with him on a different book. We’re excited to share details with you in the future.”
Del Rey Books didn’t elaborate further than this on why it was canceling Christopher’s work, only noting that the book was being canceled because of The Mandalorian‘s “ever-expanding world.”
Some people on Twitter immediately wondered if it had to do with removing Cara Dune from the series.
@DelReyStarWars Translation: There was too much content with Cara Dune to edit out, so it was easier to just scrap the entire novel.
However, others thought the book’s timeline might not have included that storyline.
@CharlesKehler1 @DelReyStarWars I’m a bit confused about the timeline of this book then. Wasn’t it suppose to happen before the movies? Cara Dune didn’t even know him before then, so why would she be in the books?
Some speculated that because the book was going to be a prequel, they didn’t want to limit was Season 3 of The Mandalorian was going to cover.
The Star Wars Books Twitter account did not respond to any questions on Twitter about the cancelation.
Christopher did not comment on Twitter and only retweeted the messages from Star Wars Books. His Twitter bio still lists the book as coming out in Fall 2021 and had not yet been updated as of the time of this article’s publication.
When he originally wrote about the novel on his website on June 30, 2020, Christopher only said that he was working on an original novel, but had to keep the title, synopsis, and cover “under wraps.”
‘The Mandalorian Ultimate Visual Guide’ Has Also Been Canceled
At the same time that Del Rey Books announced the cancelation, DK Books US also announced that The Mandalorian Ultimate Visual Guide was canceled.
Due to the ever-expanding world of The Mandalorian, we will no longer be publishing The Mandalorian Ultimate Visual Guide at this time, as the story continues to unfold on screen.
DK Books US gave almost the same reason, writing: “Due to the ever-expanding world of The Mandalorian, we will no longer be publishing The Mandalorian Ultimate Visual Guide at this time, as the story continues to unfold on screen.”
Some people who were disappointed by the announcement questioned the decision on Twitter.
One person wrote: “I mean why not release in volumes? This is just dumb to just scrape everything. Releasing in volumes means more money, isn’t that what all companies really care about?”
@dkpublishing I mean why not release in volumes? This is just dumb to just scrape everything. Releasing in volumes means more money, isn’t that what all companies really care about?
Another person tweeted that it didn’t make sense because the universe was already expanding when the book was pitched. In addition, official descriptions had noted the book would cover Seasons 1 and 2 of the series.
@dkpublishing Thank you for letting us know but the reason (the story continues to unfold on screen) doesn’t make sense. The story was continuing when the book was being pitched, written and solicited.
Pablo Hidalgo’s book still has a listing on Amazon, although the release date is now reading January 2, 2079. The Amazon description reads: “Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Ultimate Visual Guide is the 200-page definitive companion to Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian, exploring the heroes, villains, creatures, aliens, droids, locations, and technology from the show. Packed with 500+ images, plus a new cross-section, and written by Star Wars scribe Pablo Hidalgo, it’s a must-have for all fans who want to learn more.”
Hidalgo is a creative executive in story development for LucasFilm. According to the Star Wars Fandom page, it was supposed to be published on July 1, 2021 in the UK and on July 6, 2021 in the United States.
The book has been removed from The Star Wars website, but an archived page from November 2020 reveals that the website had published a first look for the now-removed book. The exclusive first look only showed the cover, which was a photo of The Mandalorian. The webpage also noted that the book would be “featuring new details on the worlds, weapons, characters, and creatures of The Mandalorian, it’s sure to be a bounty well-worth tracking down…”
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