Obi-Wan Kenobi

[Little Nemo McFly]

http://www.hollywood...r-talks-1030505

 

OBI-WAN KENOBI FILM NOW 'OFFICIALLY' IN THE WORKS

 

http://overmental.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-720-790x444.jpg

 

Quote

Stephen Daldry is Star Wars’ newest hope.

 

The Oscar-nominated director behind Billy Elliot and The Hours is in early talks to helm 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 is made, Daldry would oversee the development and writing with Lucasfilm brass.

 

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 considering pics centering on Yoda and bounty hunter Boba Fett, among other characters.

 

In the original Star Wars trilogy, Kenobi is a desert-dwelling and war-weary hermit who later proves to be a wise and powerful warrior, brandishing a lightsaber. He is briefly a mentor to a young Luke Skywalker before being cut down by Darth Vader, his former pupil. Alec Guinness' portrayal of Kenobi garnered him an Oscar nomination.

 

The character played a central role in the George Lucas-directed prequels, which recount the origin of Vader and his betrayal of Kenobi and the Jedis. Ewan McGregor, who played the younger Kenobi in the prequels, has said he would be open to playing the character again. Sources stress, however, that since there is no script, no actor is attached.

 

Daldry hails from the theater world and made his feature debut with 2000's 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 noms.

 

Daldry most recently directed episodes of Netflix’s period drama The Crown, which garnered him an Emmy nomination.

 

He is repped by CAA.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

There's also a Jabba film in the works so I'm weary.

[Little Nemo McFly]

A Jabba the Hutt solo movie?! Whaaa...?!

 

I gotta admit - he's one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars Land. If they bring him back as a giant-ass puppet, that is freaking awesome! But a movie? Focused on Jabba? Huh?!

 

If anything - Jabba should cameo...maybe in that Boba flick - or hell, maybe even in this!

 

I'm hopeful w/ this solo flick. It's a great character. Hopefully, he won't be hooking up w/ a crazy / silly cast of characters...and just be a straight-up dumb toy commercial. Gritty and dangerous...and adult - that's the approach I'm hoping for.

 

[Drifter]

What the fuck could they do with Kenobi; re-enact Castaway in a desert hut on Tatooine?

Edited August 19, 2017 by Drifter

[Keth]

They could do a Kenobi western style movie,like Logan. Make up cool shit that happened between Sith and New Hope amd I'd watch it. McGregor or bust though.

[Drifter]

That makes no sense, if he did anything worthy of a movie it'd need a bigger cast than just him and the Lars family, and that would have brought the empire right on top of him. He was a crazy old harmless hermit, not some beloved frontier town gunfighter on the run from the marshals with the entire population of Anchorhead keeping his secret. As far as we know, after dropping off Luke with his Uncle and Aunt, Kenobi screwed off in the desert for a decade, then for the last five years before A New Hope, it was just Kenobi and Maul's corpse hanging out in the desert... I can see where you can fit a good movie in there, but nothing they make worth it's own feature film would survive the simple fact that the empire would be on Tatooine looking for a Jedi in hiding the next day.

[Iambaytor]

They just make Shane with Obi-wan Kenobi, it's not that hard to imagine. The empire barely has a presence on Tattooine anyway.

[Drifter]

In the canon movies and tv shows It takes just one enemy survivor or just one overheard conversation to get an inquisitor on your ass

Edited August 20, 2017 by Drifter

[Iambaytor]

Who says an enemy has to survive? Also, who says he has to overtly use his lightsaber and Jedi powers.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Iambaytor

[Drifter]

No force powers or lightsabers and possible cold-blooded murder... then why make it about Kenobi in the first place? The ending of this film has to wrap up in a nice little bow to align with the fight with maul and his saving Luke in A New Hope. That's going to be hard enough to do in a non-contrived fashion for just a cameo, but to make Kenobi the focus of the film as well is going to be down right impossible to do well.

[Iambaytor]

I said no overt Jedi shit, not none at all. He's been through some ahit so killing isn't out of the question and it's not as if he didn't kill people before. There's no reason this couldn't work.

[Drifter]

I doubt it's going to be anything less than a complete hot mess. The only way that Rogue One was better than it had any right to be is that they went hard-core with a bunch of unknowns all to kick off an opening car chase for the first movie. This Kenobi movie is going to have even less impact in the universe setting than that, it will have to leave NOTHING changed, no one who knows what he is can survive the film, no waves can be made in whatever passes for a society on Tatooine, and Kenobi can't go riding off into the sunset afterwards because he's stuck there looking after the newest chosen one.

[Iambaytor]

It doesn't need to make waves, it just needs to be a good story. It's not hard to conceive of how one would work. It's already got more going for it than Han Solo.

[Drifter]

It's a feature film, not an episode of Seinfeld, it can't be about nothing, something has to happen... And the Solo film sounds like it's going to be another dumpster fire from all the press it's been getting.

[Iambaytor]

It can still be about something. I've already said, they could just do Shane. That plot could take place over a weekend.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Bringing back McGregor is enough to make this movie by itself.

[Iambaytor]

Exactly, especially if they do it as a small character piece. The most time we got to spend with this guy was in Attack of the Clones and his disconnected subplot was the most interesting part of the prequel trilogy. I don't care if the villains of the movie are all Tusken Raiders, they could fuck this up but the deck is stacked in their favor.

[Drifter]

I'd say it's totally stacked against them, but we'll see.

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

 

 

I really hope it stays on Tatooine.

 

I hope he doesn't get like, extracted - and then dropped back off - to help w/ sum...fugitive Jedi-conundrum.

 

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

^ Fan art has already begun.

 

That makes no sense, if he did anything worthy of a movie it'd need a bigger cast than just him and the Lars family, and that would have brought the empire right on top of him. He was a crazy old harmless hermit, not some beloved frontier town gunfighter on the run from the marshals with the entire population of Anchorhead keeping his secret. As far as we know, after dropping off Luke with his Uncle and Aunt, Kenobi screwed off in the desert for a decade, then for the last five years before A New Hope, it was just Kenobi and Maul's corpse hanging out in the desert... I can see where you can fit a good movie in there, but nothing they make worth it's own feature film would survive the simple fact that the empire would be on Tatooine looking for a Jedi in hiding the next day.

 

I still haven't seen Rebels Season 3 - to know how it's changed Obi-Wan's stay on Tatooine in the canon...but, as far as a Kenobi solo film contributing to the canon, like how Rogue One expanded on the Death Star - those things you mentioned could totally be expanded on and enriched - along w/ focusing (hopefully) on telling a kick-ass character piece / story.

 

A concrete reason on why Owen Lars has basically shunned Obi-Wan - aside from his 'that's what I'm afraid of' line in ANH - in the canon, that's something that's not really clear. He can't count on the Lars for any assistance. That's something they can play w/. The conditions on raising Luke - make that relationship between Kenobi and the Lars a bit more clear / established.

 

The film could explain how Kenobi is able to survive undiscovered - and still not look the other way when others are in need. I mean, 18 years (that's how old Luke is in ANH, right?) - staring at a wall...w/ this film - they could imply he still 'Jedi's on Tatooine when there's trouble...he just has to be slick about it. Very dangerous to 'get involved'.

 

But...then why does Obi-Wan continue to dress like a Jedi? LOL - and why do Tatooine denizens also dress like Jedi. That's gonna be my take-away from the film. LOL

 

They could give that hut he stays in a backstory. These are just tidbits in the canon they could harmlessly expand on - if done right.

 

I agree, a feature has to be a worthwhile story - and that's where it'll get risky. You can totally do an excellent character-focused story - but it might not satisfy that 'blockbuster hungry' audience...and these massive projects can potentially aim at 'safe'. 'Everybody has to love it'. It's the same w/ a Yoda solo film - I'm interested in a unique kind of film w/ that...but, y'know - it could end up being an ultra-cute plush commercial.

 

It really is about who the target audience is. I hope they understand their audience and the character. A Disney-fied 'fun' Han Solo - the shoot-first drug smuggler - was such a bad idea. A day-in-the-life of a wandering hermit is interesting to me - 'specially Kenobi.

 

"I'm getting too old for this sort of thing..."

Edited August 21, 2017 by Little Nemo McFly

[Drifter]

Rebels Season 3 takes place about 4-5 years before ANH and the episodes just had Kenobi in the desert around a campfire at night. It took a holocron induced shared force vision of both a jedi padawan and sith marauder to get a hint at where he was. Ezra caught Maul's obsession and went looking, getting lost in the desert, Obi-wan found him, Maul had followed and ended up getting owned in a hell of a cool, if short, lightsaber duel. Kenobi is indeed a badass. It ends with him checking up on a pre-teen Luke starting his dawn chores at the farm from quite a far distance away, then moving on before he is spotted. Which makes sense, as it was clear in ANH that Luke had never met him before, and only knew about 'Old Ben' as a rumor of a hermit in the desert.

 

Kenobi is good as a cameo character in a film, not as the center of his own adventure, because it wouldn't work, he's laying too low when you meet him in the canon material. Any feature film worthy adventure focused on him would not work in the established setting.

[Little Nemo McFly]

...it was clear in ANH that Luke had never met him before, and only knew about 'Old Ben' as a rumor of a hermit in the desert.

 

I'm pretty sure Luke had met 'Old Ben' before.

 

Luke seemed to be referring to a very specific person (not 'that rumored guy') when he suggested R2 was referring to 'Old Ben' Kenobi when it claimed to belong to 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'. "Maybe a relative or something." Owen also was pretty specific w/ Luke when he referred to 'Old Ben' as 'that wizard' being a 'crazy old man'.

 

Also, Luke instantly recognized 'Ben' when they meet in the film and Obi-Wan seemed pretty familiar w/ Luke. Totally casual.

 

That whole dynamic w/ the Lars is something that could be played w/ - if anything, briefly touched on. They don't need to touch the Luke stuff in any significant way, really.

 

Any feature film worthy adventure focused on him would not work in the established setting.

 

I guess it depends where in the 18 year span it'll take place. I think it does have the potential to bomb - but it could be an entertaining as hell hour and a half. I can't wait for a more info.

 

[Drifter]

I might be remembering differently but I'd swear Luke and Co. only knew Kenobi as well as you or I would be familiar with Old Man McGruder at the end of the road with the creepy house that no one ever sees.

[Little Nemo McFly]

LOL! I can see that - but, Luke didn't appear surprised to me at all that 'Ben' knew his name when they meet.

 

There was never a 'How do you know my name? Wait - how do you know my uncle? Why do you keep smelling my hair?' moment.

 

I've always interpreted implied history. Hell, Luke blushed when 'Ben' commented how he's become a good pilot. It meant something coming from him. He just didn't know he was 'General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Clone Wars veteran'...and that he knew his dad. Maybe he was the weird uncle that was forbidden from coming by the house one day.

 

Since I was a kid, I've always been really interested in the Lars'. The circumstances of Luke ending up there - and why Owen hated Obi-Wan so much.

 

Is it a hate-on for the Jedi as a whole? Did Obi-Wan specifically do something that got him 'forbidden' from being part of the family? Was it all good at one point?

 

I was pumped when they announced the Lars' would be a part of Episode 2 - and hoped for some set-up / answers in Episode 3. But...

 

...ah. LOL

 

A huge criticism w/ Rogue One was 'who cares?' A story that didn't need to be told. Honestly, without the context of the OT - a lot of it fell flat. All it really did was give weight / add meat to the opening crawl of ANH: "Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans..." I'm in the camp that appreciated the 'story being told'. That's cool. I love the Star Wars universe and Rogue One fit in nicely.

 

ANH totally works w/out Rogue One - but it did add an extra layer, that - I'd argue - strengthened the mythology...not weaken it. (shrugs) *clears throat - good luck, Mr. Solo.

 

I hope the Kenobi flick is entertaining on it's own - and not assume familiarity so much as Rogue One did - but also manage to strengthen the mythos in regard to the Lars relationship (I guess by default, Luke) and establishing that Kenobi can still 'hero' on Tatooine - and get away w/ it.

 

[Drifter]

To be fair, Luke was a minor celebrity in his community, like that overachieving kid in the neighborhood that all other kids are judged against by their parents; and all the kids know it. I'd wager Luke gets that kind of attention a lot to the the point he wasn't really surprised that even old man McGruder had know; probably figured he heard it from all the old biddies at the anchorhead hair salon gushing about Luke's latest piloting exploits... he seemed more embarrassed that here was another adult heaping praise on his mad skills, and that the other kids were going to beat him up over it again out behind tashi station after all the other kids were done with nerf herding for the day.