Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stephen Daldry is in early talks for the film, which would center on the Jedi master who has been played by both Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor.
Stephen Daldry is Star Wars’ newest hope.
The Oscar-nominated director behind Billy Elliot and The Hours is in early talks to direct a Star Wars stand-alone movie centering on Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Sources say talks are at the earliest of stages and that the project has no script. If a deal makes, Daldry would oversee the development and writing with Lucasfilm brass. It's not known at this stage if Ewan McGregor will reprise his role. The Obi-Wan Kenobi stand-alone is one of several projects being developed by Lucasfilm and Disney that fall outside the trilogies telling the saga of the Skywalker family. A Han Solo movie is now in the final stages of shooting under new director Ron Howard and Lucasfilm is also looking at movies featuring Yoda and bounty hunter Boba Fett, among others.
In the original Star Wars trilogy, Kenobi was at first a desert-dwelling and war-weary hermit who later proved to be a wise and powerful warrior, brandishing a light saber. He was briefly a mentor to a young Luke before being cut down by Darth Vader, his former pupil. Alec Guinness played Kenobi, garnering him an Oscar nomination to boot. The character got star treatment in the George Lucas-directed prequels which told the origin of Vader and his betrayal of Kenobi and the Jedis. McGregor has said he would be open to playing the character again. Sources stress, however, that since there is no script, no actor is attached.
“Rogue One” was the first of the standalones, and Disney is currently shooting an untitled origin tale of beloved smuggler Han Solo. Some of the other standalones in development include a Jabba the Hutt story and a Boba Fett movie.
Daldry hails from the theater world and made his feature debut with Billy Elliot, which netted him his first directing Oscar nomination. He followed that up with searing dramas The Hours and The Reader, which also netted him directing nominations.
He most recently directed episodes of Netflix’s period drama The Crown, which put him into play in this Emmy season.
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
wonder if we can get some Liam Neeson action
I'd certainly be down for that but all we heard was his voice after he died, so bringing him in as a Force Ghost might be weird, especially considering that he wasn't shown in ROTJ. [Reply]
Why does everyone have such a hard on for McGregor? He sucked in Fargo and the Obi Wan character was a bore, with no personality, in the prequels.
IMO - the idea of these character based prequels is a bad one. There's so much opportunity to branch out with compelling new characters but I guess that's too much of a challenge or too risky to attempt. It smacks as lazy to me. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Gadzooks:
Why does everyone have such a hard on for McGregor? He sucked in Fargo and the Obi Wan character was a bore, with no personality, in the prequels.
IMO - the idea of these character based prequels is a bad one. There's so much opportunity to branch out with compelling new characters but I guess that's too much of a challenge or too risky to attempt. It smacks as lazy to me.
WHAT? He was the best part of the prequels. The only actor that really sold his part. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 007:
WHAT? He was the best part of the prequels. The only actor that really sold his part.
He did a nice imitation of Alec Guinness. That's all I'll give him. The writing sucked so that didn't help him. But he was a BORING character.
Plus, there'll be no impending doom in any of character based prequels. We all know they survive whatever adventure they're put on.
BORING. LAZY. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 007:
WHAT? He was the best part of the prequels. The only actor that really sold his part.
Joel Edgerton recently stated that he'd like to return as Owen Lars.
Since Episode 2, I've had the notion that the Stormtroopers and Vader killed and burned the bodies of Owen and Buru in Episode IV because he felt them responsible for the death of his mother.
Originally Posted by Gadzooks:
He did a nice imitation of Alec Guinness. That's all I'll give him. The writing sucked so that didn't help him. But he was a BORING character.
Plus, there'll be no impending doom in any of character based prequels. We all know they survive whatever adventure they're put on.
BORING. LAZY.
