Although many fans have said for some time now that ‘origin’ stories are not necessary; One thing that has been universally agreed is that we all want to see Ewan McGregor jump back into the universe as Obi-Wan Kenobi… but will it work?
With Solo: A Star Wars Story out this week and the rumour mill churning out reports of a Kenobi film again; we want to look at whether this is actually a good idea or not…
Ewan McGregor himself has stated on many occasions that he would welcome a return to the character that he made his own during the much maligned prequels. Below I’m going to take you through 5 pros and cons of a potential film. Leaving you take make a decision at the end.
Pros:
- It’s Ewan McGregor. Let’s be honest, have you met a fan that doesn’t want to see this man bring back the sass to Star Wars? I feel it would be welcomed as the most popular decision since Disney has taken over.
- Change. We could have a VERY different Star Wars film. A much smaller scale, character focused film would be a huge deviation from what we’re used to but with the right director and acting talent… it could work!
- The director. If we are to believe the rumours, Stephen Daldry is in the running to helm this project. Having been nominated as best director for The Hours and Billy Elliot, he could be the perfect fit for a film like this and will bring an intensity that will be needed if we’re going to focus on one character.
- History of the Force. Could we possibly delve deeper into the origins of the force and have Obi-Wan evaluating how it should be used, much like Luke Skywalker has in the sequel trilogy… but possibly with more positive results.
- Qui-Gon. If they’re going to do this, then they have to bring back Liam Neeson to teach Obi-Wan how to become one with the force and commune with others after he has passed.
Cons:
- Canon. So. Much. Canon. Although there is a time period of about 19 years (apart from an incredible appearance in Rebels) where Kenobi is hidden away on Tatooine and having been a prevalent character in both the prequel trilogy and original trilogy, fans will be very quick to spot and criticize any continuity errors.
- What if it isn’t Ewan? Surely they wouldn’t do that, would they? Stranger things have happened but I’m not sure a more unpopular decision has ever been made in film making history.
- Tatooine. Although we’d love to believe Obi-Wan was true to his word and spent the entirety of those 19 years being a hermit and only focusing on the well being of Luke Skywalker, this may mean that it could become the first Star Wars movie based only on one planet.
- The Jedi. It has already been stated that during the events of Star Wars: Rebels, the Ghost crew were the main focus of the empire due to the fact that Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger were force users. It would seem unlikely that on a planet we know has a large imperial presence, Kenobi could get away with wielding a lightsaber. So could we really see/ do we want to see a Obi-Wan film where he doesn’t use the force?
- A Villain. Who could cause problems for our main protagonist? It has been suggested that Darth Vader could be a looming presence in the film, possibly on the hunt for Kenobi but would it make sense for him to make an appearance? He may just spend his time yelling at Tusken Raiders.
Thoughts:
Looking back through this, in true Obi-Wan style, all of the pros have the potential to be cons, and all the cons have the potential to be pros… from a certain point of view.
I’m leaving that part to YOU! What do you think? Should a Kenobi film be made or should Disney and Lucasfilm just focus on bringing in new characters to this universe?
You can have your say with our twitter poll which will be running for the next few days!
You can follow us @futureotforce or myself @samppthomas on Twitter and Instagram!
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