Stephen Daldry is Star Wars’ newest hope.

The Oscar-nominated director behind Billy Elliot and The Hours is in early talks to direct a Star Wars stand-alone movie centering on Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Hollywood Reporterhas learned.

Sources say talks are at the earliest of stages and that the project has no script. If a deal makes, Daldry would oversee the development and writing with Lucasfilm brass. It's not known at this stage if Ewan McGregor will reprise his role.

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 looking at movies featuring Yoda and bounty hunter Boba Fett, among others.

In the original Star Wars trilogy, Kenobi was at first a desert-dwelling and war-weary hermit who later proved to be a wise and powerful warrior, brandishing a light saber. He was briefly a mentor to a young Luke before being cut down by Darth Vader, his former pupil. Alec Guinness played Kenobi, garnering him an Oscar nomination to boot.

The character got star treatment in the George Lucas-directed prequels which told the origin of Vader and his betrayal of Kenobi and the Jedis. McGregor 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 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 nominations.

He most recently directed episodes of Netflix’s period drama The Crown, which put him into play in this Emmy season.

He is repped by CAA.

http://www.hollywoodrepor...ks-1030505

EmmaMcG said:

Recasting would be a major mistake. Ewan McGregor was the best thing about the prequels. I know they said there's no script yet but they should definitely be looking to set it between Episodes 3 and 4. There's a long gap there that hasn't been explored in the movies so it would be good to see them follow up on the tease at the end of Episode 3 where Yoda said he had some training in store for Obi-Wan. They could definitely bring Liam Neeson back as a force ghost that teaches Obi-Wan how to communicate with Luke from beyond the grave. They could even have Boba Fett show up as a villain to set up his own spin off.

Once again Emma you are 100% correct, Ewan McGregor was the best thing about the prequels. I don't want a whole bunch of side movies about characters backgrounds. I know they are planning on a Hon Solo orgins movie, what next??? Yoda, Princess Lea, Lando and so on.

I would love to see a Darth Vader movie

uPtoWnNY said:

I would love to see a Darth Vader movie

Well the prequels movies was his origins

kpowers said:

uPtoWnNY said:

I would love to see a Darth Vader movie

Well the prequels movies was his origins

A movie based on 'Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader' novel would be awesome. It takes place months after Revenge of the Sith and goes into detail about Vader's new life, his regrets about Padme, his frustrations with the suit and his pursuit of fugitive Jedi that survived Order 66.

uPtoWnNY said:

I would love to see a Darth Vader movie

that would tie in with my idea about DV having an apprentice who he ends up putting in carbonite for 30 40 years... and she (YES SHE) comes out after having nothing to do for decades but meditate on the force she has powers never dreamed of... and that the Jedi are at her mercy and a new hero must arise to fight her. (I came up with this in the mid 80s after Jedi came out)

uPtoWnNY said:

kpowers said:

Well the prequels movies was his origins

A movie based on 'Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader' novel would be awesome. It takes place months after Revenge of the Sith and goes into detail about Vader's new life, his regrets about Padme, his frustrations with the suit and his pursuit of fugitive Jedi that survived Order 66.

That would be really cool, and I wouldn't put it past them considering everyone's reaction to the ending of Rogue One