Disney and Lucasfilm’s plan to release a new Star Wars movie ever single year for the rest of our collective lives came even closer to fruition today, with the revelation that the next Star Wars spin-off film will star none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi who trained Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, with, shall we say, “mixed” success.
Lucasfilm is in talks with Stephen Daldry – the Oscar-nominated director of Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – to direct their Obi-Wan Kenobi movie. Hollywood Reporter reports that there is no script in place, and Daldry would be in a position to develop the movie along with the studio.
The film represents a significant about-face for Daldry, whose celebrated filmmaking career thus fas has been spent directing serious dramas about emotional strife. He also executive produces and directs multiple episodes of the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, and is slated to direct an adaptation of the blockbuster Broadway musical Wicked for release in 2019, and his career in the theatre is varied and extensive as well.
Lucasfilm
Also: ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ | New Pictures and Plot Details!
The arrangement may be mutually beneficial for both parties. Lucasfilm has had trouble hiring young and promising filmmakers with big ideas about the Star Wars franchise, and leading to significant reshoots on both Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo prequel, the latter of which had to replace directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller in the middle of production because they didn’t see eye-to-eye with the studio. Ron Howard has been brought into oversee the completion of that particular film.
Although Stephen Daldry brings considerable clout to the Star Wars franchise, his relative inexperience with the sci-fi and action genre, and with franchise filmmaking in general, may make him more amenable to close collaboration with Lucasfilm. But of course, only time will tell. The studio has been on this path before, multiple times, and very recently.
With no screenplay in place, any discussion of the plot of the Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off would speculative and premature. But it is worth noting that Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, has publicly stated he would be willing to return to the series. The 46-year-old actor is roughly 17 years younger than Sir Alec Guinness was when he played the role in the original Star Wars, which could potentially set the stage for a storyline that takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
But again, that is pure conjecture. For all we know Lucasfilm is planning to make a prequel about Obi-Wan Kenobi as a youngling. Yippee.
10 Mythical Artifacts Indiana Jones Hasn’t Discovered Yet:
Top Photo: Lucasfilm
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on Canceled Too Soon and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
10 Mythical Artifacts Indiana Jones Hasn't Discovered Yet
-
Indiana Jones and the Golden Fleece
Jason and his Argonauts pursued the Golden Fleece to prove that Jason was the rightful king of Thessaly, fighting off giants with six arms, harpies and more in the process. Indiana Jones would have a heck of a time fighting off those beasts, even with his trusty whip.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
-
Indiana Jones and the Hammer of Thor
Thor may be the star of his own Walt Disney franchise, but he's still a mythical being and his hammer is still a work of fiction. A crossover between Indiana Jones and the Marvel Cinematic Universe will probably never happen (although the fans would probably like it), but there's still room to explore traditional Norse mythology in a franchise where myths are very, very real.
Photo: Marvel Studios
-
Indiana Jones and the Magic Lamp
Disney has told the story of the magic lamp before, and several times, but the possibilities are endless once you add Indiana Jones into the mix. If you thought Nazis and millionaires went to great lengths to recover the Holy Grail, just imagine what they'd do to acquire three all-powerful wishes.
Photo: Walt Disney
-
Indiana Jones and Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box opened, and all the evils of the world spilled out. Perhaps if you found the box today, all the evils could be forced back inside, for better or worse. Indiana Jones could solve all the world's problems in a moment, or possibly make them much, much worse.
Photo: BBC
-
Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone
Yes, Harry Potter got there first, but the Philosopher's Stone is an ancient concept that fits tidily into Indiana Jones's own universe. Our archaeologist could pursue the artifact to stop a selfish antagonist from using it to topple the world economy (and live forever, naturally).
Photo: Warner Bros.
-
Indiana Jones and the Spear of Longinus
Indiana Jones has dealt with the relics of Jesus Christ before, but in a tale that takes place during the Cold War's nuclear proliferation, the weapon that killed the Son of God might have added dramatic weight. If the Ark of the Covenant could liquify Nazis, imagine what a weapon coated in the blood of God could do...?
Photo: Funimation
-
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Moses
Indiana Jones has found "The Staff of Kings" before, but that was in a video game, and Disney probably doesn't think those are canon. Regardless, the fabled walking stick that could part the Red Sea and transform into snakes is certainly a valuable artifact that belongs in a museum. Indiana Jones would risk life and limb to keep it out of the wrong hands.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
-
Indiana Jones and the Sword in the Stone
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade our hero met a knight who found the Holy Grail, so revealing that the king who sent those knights on that quest was a real personal wouldn't be a stretch. But if Excalibur is real, where is it, and who is worthy to wield it and protect the United Kingdom? (It couldn't possibly be an American... could it?)
Photo: Walt Disney
-
Indiana Jones and the Undersea Kingdom
Another archaeological myth that Indiana Jones discovered in a video game, and the subject of several drafts of never-produced Indiana Jones screenplays. Atlantis remains one of the most infamous lost treasures in the history of the world. Finding it would be damn near impossible, even for Indiana Jones, and doesn't that sound exciting?
Photo: DC Comics
-
Indiana Jones and the Waters of Life
Harrison Ford will be 76 when the next Indiana Jones movie comes out, so seeking out the Fountain of Youth makes a lot of sense from his character's perspective, and might give fans a meaningful way to say goodbye to the character. Sure, Disney already told a Fountain of Youth story in the last Pirates of the Caribbean film, but nobody liked that movie anyway. Indiana Jones could make the myth his own.
Photo: Walt Disney
