That's the word from The Hollywood Reporter, which is saying that Obi-Wan -- played by the late Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy, and Ewan McGregor in the prequel flicks -- is the next character from the "Star Wars" universe set to star in his own movie. Han Solo is currently getting the spinoff treatment, with Ron Howard recently taking over directing duties on the as-yet-untitled flick.
According to THR, a director has already been singled out for the Kenobi gig, with Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry ("The Reader," "The Hours," "Billy Elliot") in early talks to take the job. Currently, the project doesn't have a script, though if Daldry does indeed sign on, THR says that he will be instrumental in helping Disney and Lucasfilm shape the story and the film's development.
It's unclear at this point if McGregor would reprise the role; he's been quite vocal in the past about his desire to play the character again, and has said he wants to headline a standalone film. But THR's story stresses several times that "since there is no script, no actor is attached."
While he's certainly an iconic character, Obi-Wan does seem like an odd choice for a standalone flick, since he's already been featured so prominently in the franchise. While he was killed off in the first "Star Wars" flick, he still stuck around for some key moments in the other two installments of the original trilogy, and was one of the main stars of all three prequels, filling in a lot of his background already.
Presumably, this standalone would have to take place either between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," or back before the events of "The Phantom Menace." The pre-"A New Hope" territory has already been covered on the big screen by last year's spinoff "Rogue One," though an exploration of the life of Tatooine recluse Ben Kenobi, before he meets Luke Skywalker, could be an interesting angle.
We'll have to see which direction filmmakers follow. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
[via: The Hollywood Reporter]