Over the past few days we’ve been graced with some genuinely exciting photos from the set of Star Wars: Episode VII which included the Millennium Falcon, an X-Wing and a group of extras. We also got the news that an old pal of J.J. Abrams, Greg Grunberg, will also be joining the fray in a small role. Now more rumours have resurfaced surrounding the slate of spin-offs that is to follow each movie in the new trilogy. Originally the rumours were heavily pointing towards Han Solo, Boba Fett and a Red 5 all being the main focus of spin-off but according to the guys over at MakingStarWars, it looks like old favourite Obi Wan Kenobi is still in line for his own movie.
“I’ve heard from quite a few people now that an Obi Wan Kenobi movie is in the works. For the spin-off movies they were initially going to stay away from any Jedi or Sith characters. But I’m hearing now that because of the popularity of Obi-Wan that an art team is now working with a writer on concepts for an Obi-Wan movie.”
In regards to Obi-Wan’s popularity, earlier this year the Jedi Knight won the This Is Madness 2014 official character tournament at StarWars.com besting favourites Master Yoda, Han Solo and Darth Vader along the way, proving that he is still a huge hit with the fans. In February Ewan McGregor stated that he’d love to return to the character:
“I think it’s a good idea. The only bit that I could get away with doing is after the last one I made, Episode III, before Alec Guinness, there’s that period where he’s in the desert… That might be my window, there, to tell that story. I don’t know what he did in the desert…Could be quite exciting. I’d be up for it, for sure, of course!”
Personally I’d love to see McGregor return but as yet Disney have refused to let slip any hints about a possible Kenobi movie. An Obi-Wan spin-off makes perfect sense considering he is one of the few characters other than Anakin that transcends all the Star Wars canon, from the original trilogy the prequels and The Clone Wars. It’s unclear whether a Kenobi movie would replace one of the previously rumoured spin-offs.
Would you like to see an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie?
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published September 14, 2014. Updated January 18, 2020.
