With the untitled "Star Wars" anthology film featuring Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) coming out next year, Disney has now green-lighted a new movie that will headline the iconic character Obi-Wan Kenobi.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a standalone "Star Wars" film centering on the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi is now in development. However, the film is still in its early stages and no script has been written as of yet.
Director Stephen Daldry is said to be in early discussions to helm the movie and oversee its production. Daldry was nominated for three Oscar Awards for his work on "Billy Elliot" (2001), "The Hours" (2002) and "The Reader" (2008).
The upcoming movie will be separate from the main narrative of the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy which showcases the continuing saga of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Other standalone movies also being considered for development feature the diminutive Jedi mentor Yoda and the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
In the original "Star Wars" trilogy, Kenobi was portrayed by the late Sir Alec Guinness. He guided Skywalker who later became a Jedi himself. A younger Kenobi also showed up in the prequel trilogy and was portrayed by Ewan McGregor. He took on the task of mentoring the kid Anakin Skywalker, played by Jake Lloyd, who would later become the iconic villain Darth Vader, portrayed by Hayden Christenson.
McGregor has stated before that he is interested in reprising his role as Kenobi in a movie or even a trilogy. When asked if he has had talks with Lucasfilm president and "Star Wars" producer Kathleen Kennedy, the actor replied, "I'm not sure that I am at liberty to say really."
The "Star Wars" Obi-Wan Kenobi movie has no release date yet. In the meantime, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is set to open in theaters on Dec. 15.
