There has been a lot going on in theStar Warsuniverse over the course of the last 6 months and whileThe Last Jediand the announcement of Rian Johnson’s new trilogy as well asSolo: A Star Wars Storyare taking up most of the news, development of theObi-Wan Kenobimovie has been quietly working towards an early 2019 production start date. It was revealed over the summer that Academy Award nominated director Stephen Daldry was in talks to direct the latestStar Warsspin-off, which still remains to be officially confirmed. But, with a production start time on the horizon, it’s easy to assume that a director is in place and that at least the first draft of the script has been completed.
A new report has surfaced and it reveals that theObi-Wan movieis set to begin production in January of 2019 at Pinewood Studios in England. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is listed as a producer alongside English producer Tracey Seaward withStephen Daldry’s name attachedas director. We’re still a little over a year from production officially starting and a lot can change between now and then, but for now, it is presumably safe to assume that Daldry will be directing. Disney’s Bob Eiger had previously stated that the next set ofStar Warsmovies could be ready as soon as 2020 and it is looking like theObi-Wanspin-off will fit into that timeline.
In addition to theKenobi project, Lucasfilm is also in the very beginning stages of development of the long awaitedBoba Fettspin-off as well as theYodaspin-off. ABoba Fettmovie has been talked about for years and even had director Josh Trank attached before hisFantastic Fourmovie came out and tanked in a spectacular fashion. Trank even made a sizzle reel for the spin-off that was to be shown to fans at the 2015Star WarsCelebration, but it was quickly pulled along with the 2018 release date. A standaloneYodamovie has been rumored since 2013, though not as much information is known about how far along the project has gone since then.
TheObi-Wanmovie does not have a cast yet, butEwan McGregorhas expressed interest in returning to the character for the spin-off. McGregor had a quick voice cameo in 2015’sThe Force Awakensand many have been holding out hope that he’ll be shown inThe Last Jedi, but nothing has been confirmed at this point. Ewan McGregor would be the obvious choice, but it isn’t clear if Lucasfilm will want to go that route or go for a new actor to portray the Jedi Knight.
TheObi-Wan Kenobimovie, with the production name Joshua Tree, is still quite far away anda lot can happen in the time between now and the production start. However, it’s nice to see that things are moving forward and that we’ll get to see some more of Obi-Wan on the big screen. We’ll have our first real taste of a spin-off featuring beloved characters whenSolo: A Star Wars Storyhits theaters in May and tells the story of a young Han Solo. You can read more about the January 2019 production start of theObi-Wanspin-off viaOmega Underground.
