Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett and Han Solo May Get Their Own ‘Star Wars’ Movies

ScreenCrush’s WookieeLeaks is a weekly roundup of everything 'Star Wars'! From The Force Awakens, to the upcoming spinoffs and the TV shows, if it pertains to that long ago, far away galaxy, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, ponder a new series of Obi-Wan Kenobi movies, learn how Han Solo and Boba Fett may share the screen, and learn the first hard details on the new Star Wars LEGOs.

Are They Really Going to Make an Obi-Wan Trilogy?

It’s one of the wackier Star Wars rumors out there and yet it simply refuses to die. Does Disney want to make a new trilogy of movies centering on Obi-Wan Kenobi in the years between Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars? We heard it awhile back and now we’re hearing it again, this time courtesy of Schmoes Know:

This is nothing new as far as rumors are concerned. The mill has been churning in regards to a stand-alone Obi-Wan story for a while now; reported by the likes of our good and trusted friends over at Screen Rant (via a report by Making Star Wars). In fact, many people and colleagues have been hearing rumblings of Obi-Wan not being done in the Star Wars Universe. And now, according to this source, Disney has been courting Ewan McGregor “not to be a force ghost, but for a post-Episode III Kenobi.” They go on to add they’ve heard from multiple people that Disney wants an Obi-Wan Kenobi TRILOGY of films, outside of theAnthology series. This adds some credence to a past story found at Cinelinx who had previously reported the same rumor.

This sounds crazy for a few reasons. First of all, a series of movies starring Ewan McGregor would no nothing but remind viewers of the prequels, which seems to be the exact opposite of what J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm are trying to do with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Secondly, McGregor hasn’t been quiet about how much he didn’t enjoy making his three Star Wars films (and, can you blame him?). Even with a big paycheck, it would take a lot of convincing to get him back in those Jedi robes.

And yet, Obi-Wan is frequently ranked as the favorite character of the entire saga in fan polls and McGregor is one of the very few highlights of the prequel trilogy. Honestly, we could be down for a series of movies where a lone Obi-Wan wanders the galaxy, hiding from the authorities and poking his nose into other people’s conflicts, Yojimbo-style. With the right talent behind the camera, a trilogy like this could be the Star Wars version of a western or samurai film, following the master gunfighter/swordsman as he wanders aimlessly and tries to survive in a cruel universe. We’d watch that, especially if no one ever brings up trade disputes.

Those Han Solo and Boba Fett Rumors May Have Been One Rumor

Every since we learned that Disney and Lucasfilm were going to make spin-off movies, even in the olden times before we knew they’d be called Star Wars Anthologies, there were rumors of a Boba Fett movie and a Han Solo movie. Now, it’s starting to look like those two rumors were always about the same movie.

According to Schmoes Know (yes, again), the previous rumblings that Fett and Solo would appear in the same adventure were just the tip of the iceberg. If their new report it true, it seems that the second anthology will be all about the Star Wars criminal underworld, focusing on smugglers and bounty hunters and assassins and what-not. And since Josh Trank is no longer attached, Disney is apparently pursuing two seasoned blockbuster pros to take the gig: Jon Favreau and Matthew Vaughn.

Here are all of the details:

Let’s classify this as a rumor to start as things are in motion quite a bit. But over and over again, my source is hearing the same thing: Han Solo and Boba Fett will be the focus of the second Star Wars Anthology film set for release in 2018. This is not a new rumor per se, as Latino Review has previously reported the same rumor. What my source is stating is that it looks to be happening with some interesting additions.
The source reports that the conflict between Fett and Solo that was only hinted at in the original trilogy (and seen countless times in the Expanded Universe) will finally be onscreen in a film taking place between Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith. Additionally, it’s been mentioned that characters such as Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and Bossk will make appearances throughout the film.
Also, according to the source, Disney really wants to delve into the “hive of scum and villainy” that Star Wars has been known for. As Rouge One definitely seems to be playing off of the influences of War films (the Zero Dark Thirty/Saving Private Ryan of the Star Wars Universe) this Anthology film will explore the influence of Westerns and bounty hunter films. Though no director is attached following Trank’s departure, my source is saying that both Jon Faverau and Matthew Vaughn have been thought to be circling the project.

It makes sense that an anthology movie would delve into this corner of the Star Wars universe because these characters have always been popular. Every character in Jabba’s palace has name and every bounty glimpsed in The Empire Strikes Back has a backstory. The next logical step is to give these cool-looking aliens something to do in an adventure that stars two of the most popular anti-heroes in all of Star Wars.

We must address the elephant in the room here. If this is indeed the premise of the next anthology movie (and we believe that it’s entirely believable possible), Lucasfilm will have to cast a new, younger Han Solo. And if everything in the report above is true, they would have to cast a new, younger Lando. Yes, it looks like Star Wars is going to start treating its characters like the new Star Trek movies have treated Kirk and Spock: the character is bigger than the actor and can be recast, James Bond-style, whenever necessary. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is tricky. How do you find an actor who can capture that Harrison Ford swagger? That’s a problem for another day. The biggest takeaway here is that Star Wars is no longer going to adhere to one actor playing a role. The entire timeline is up for grabs and if an actor is too old, they’re just going to recast. That’s exciting and frightening in equal measure.

Fun and Games

If you want to know what happened in the years after Return of the Jedi, the answer is, well, whatever you choose to do in Star Wars: Uprising. A new RPG coming to mobile devices, the game lets you design a character from the ground-up and embark on all kinds of missions in the years after the destruction of the second Death Star and the demise of Emperor Palpatine. That sounds cool because it will give us an interactive way to explore this section of the new canon. This also sounds terrible because the chances of a mobile RPG offering anything beyond surface level entertainment seem slim.

The first trailer for the game doesn’t feature any footage, but it does present an interesting story hook. It seems that the Empire is desperately trying to hide the news of their defeat at Endor, but word of this crippling blow to their power is spreading quickly and creating all kinds of new rebels. You are one of those rebels.

And here is the first piece of promo art for the game, which looks like it was torn right off a mid-90s expanded universe paperback:

Disney

For those who prefer their playtime to be a little less digital, Hoth Bricks has uncovered the official names of the first wave of LEGO sets for The Force Awakens. Don’t get too excited though – none of these names are spoilers of any kind. Still, you will have the chance to assemble many of the vehicles seen in the trailers, including Poe Dameron’s X-Wing and Rey’s speeder:

75099 Rey's Speeder - 193 pièces - 29.99 €
75100 First Order Snowspeeder - 444 pièces - 54.99 €
75101 First Order Special Force Tie - 517 pièces - 76.99 €
75102 Poe's X-Wing Starfighter - 717 pièces - 99.99 €
75103 First Order Transporter - 792 pièces - 114.99 €
75104 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle - 1004 pièces - 129.99 €
75105 Millennium Falcon - 1332 pièces - 164.99 €

Everything Else

Amazon Germany says that the first season of Star Wars Rebels will be available on September 10, 2015. Does this mean a North American release can’t be too far away either?

Star Wars: Rogue One writer Chris Weitz took to Twitter, asking renowned astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson to help him out with a question for his screenplay.

When he didn’t get a response, an astronomer jumped in to offer his assistance.

However, Tyson did eventually respond and, presumably, assisted in creating at least one new Star Wars moment. Breaking: there may be some actual science in Star Wars!

Finally, John Williams has officially begun scoring The Force Awakens, which is great news for people who like great music.