The Ben Kenobi
Film
It is all but set-in-stone that we will see an
Obi-Wan Kenobi film in 2020. The film will apparently see Stephen Daldry direct
a middle-aged Ewan McGregor. I think the most interesting question we have
about this film is this: Will it take place entirely on Tatooine? We have never had a Star Wars film take place entirely on one planet, but it seems right that this one would be.
When we leave Kenobi in “Revenge of the
Sith” he has brought Luke Skywalker to Tatooine, and conventional wisdom states
that Obi-Wan spends the next two decades watching Luke closely. This period of
his life is explored in various media- some of which is canon and some of which
is “legends”
Rebels
Recently “Old Ben Kenobi” was seen dueling with Darth Maul in Season 3
of Rebels. It was phenomenal to see Alec Guinness' "Ben Kenobi" brought back to screen after
years of the younger McGregor Kenobi stealing the spotlight. David Filoni and
the rest of the Rebel’s team handled this scene with so much grace, even though
it could have easily been a laughable farce.
John Jackson
Miller’s “Kenobi”
The 2013 book “Kenobi” is probably John Jackson Miller’s finest Star
Wars novel. It takes place in the first few months that Kenobi has brought baby
Luke to live on Tatooine . Miller’s novel shows Kenobi trying to lay low, but not quite succeeding. Quickly Kenobi finds himself at the center
of a feud between a clan of Tusken Raiders and some Jundland Waste settlers. This book proves that a great Kenobi story can be told without leaving Tatooine. I
would love to see a film that matched the spaghetti-western tones of this overlooked Star Wars
novel.
The Ghost of
Kenobi
The soon-to-be-published anthology “From A Certain Point of View”
features a short story called “Time of Death” by Cavan Scott. It is probably
the first piece in the Star Wars universe that is written from the point of
view of Obi-Wan’s force ghost. Actually, I can’t remember a story told from the point of
view of any force ghost. Obviously force ghosts are sentient, or at least they
seemed that way in “Empire” and “Jedi”. So I guess, what’s the difference
between a story about a living Obi-Wan and a dead Obi-Wan? Instead of answering
a question that probably should remain rhetorical, I’ll leave you all with this
sample preview-passage:
"My
name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and I am dead. I know how that sounds. Crazy old Ben
with his crazy old stories. But this isn't crazy. This is happening. At least,
I think it is."
Our Only Hope
It is a testament to Alec Guinness that a character that was killed onscreen 40 years ago, would still be so significant going into the year 2020. Can this Kenboi film be the great spaghetti-western that we all hope it will be? Like so many aspects of this strange new Star Wars multi-verse... only time will tell.
Good article, and I will gladly be there opening night.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd personally revise your last paragraph to say that interest in the character is a testament to both Guiness AND McGregor, who was one of the only bright spots in the prequel (IMO). The fact that fans want him back after twelve years speaks volumes about his performance.
For example, can you imagine if Lucasfilm announced they were going to make an interim movie about Darth Vader, and cast Hayden Christensen? SW fans would stage their own rebellion - but just about everyone seems to be behind McG returning to the role.
Loved the Kenobi book, too. I think it would be hard to replicate what Miller did, keeping it all on Tatooine, but I can't wait to see what they try.
Good points all around, Nate!
DeleteI love McGregor as Kenobi, but I would also love to see McGregor channel Alec Guinness. Give me a McGregor/Guinness hybrid. Setting the film entirely on Tatooine is important to me. It would be a Star Wars film with a much smaller scope, totally different than anything we've seen before. There are very few actors that could pull that off. Maybe McGregor more so than Guinness.
The thing that I wonder is this - would Lucasfilm/Disney allow a movie that is totally different than anything we've seen before? They seem to be playing the movies pretty safe - as evidenced by the firing of directors, the familiarity of Force Awakens, and all the added material in Rogue One.
ReplyDeleteI'd love a Tatooine-centered movie, if for no other reason than it would mean that they're willing to be at least a little experimental.