The Five Step Guide to Making a Great Standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi Film

I really want to see an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone Star Wars film. Ewan Mcgregor is one of my favorite actors and I think there would be a lot of support for a mid-budgeted Obi-Wan movie that featured his adventures on Tatooine. News came out recently that he might be featured in Episode VIII, but these are all rumors and I have no idea what his role will be. I know Disney has a master plan for the Star Wars universe, but in a Hail Mary effort to get the ball rolling on an eventual standalone film I’ve decided to come up with a five step guide to making a great Obi-Wan film.

The following post covers five ideas that might create a great Obi-Wan standalone film!

1. Hire Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption, The Raid 2) to Direct

The reason Disney needs Gareth Evans is because he can keep the focus on character and action. What I love about Gareth Evans is how he is able to direct brilliant action set pieces and create memorable characters. I can name pretty much all the characters (think Bubba naming shrimp in Forrest Gump) in The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2 and that is rare for action movies featuring an ensemble cast. If Evans did decide to direct he would bring in his hardcore fans and surely create something epic for Obi-Wan.

I also think Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter) or Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin) would be great options too.

2. Keep the Budget Around $100 million

There is no need to make the film for over $100 million. Keep the locations sparse and focus on a simple chase film that doesn’t reach the excess of Mad Max: Fury Road or the size of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Evans directed The Raid 2 for $4.5 million dollars and managed to create a beautiful epic that looked more expensive than most CGI-fests. I say give him $100 million and let his action choreographers Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian create something special. Check out this amazing fight and you will want to see more.

3. Keep the Plot Simple

Here is the plot: Some Tatooine bounty hunters figure out Luke Skywalker’s location and they are on the run to get the news out. However, since they are in the middle of nowhere their communication systems are down. Thus, they are headed to the nearest establishment to relay the message. This would allow for an urgent narrative that focuses on a sole plot point. I love films like Alien, Predator and It Follows because they stick to a simple idea and build the characters and action from there. The Obi-Wan film could be awesomely simple, yet rich with cool characters and merchandising.

Thanks to reddit for starting the discussion.

4. Open up the Tatooine World

Who wouldn’t love to see more of the characters established in A New Hope? I’d love to see some more of the Jawas, Sand People and various bounty hunters. We know the world, so it would be easy to jump into the narrative without too much explanation. There is a lot to explore on Tatooine and I know people want to see the world expanded (check out the recent comics). Also, think about how much merchandise they could sell via rehashing old characters and introducing new creatures.

5. Don’t Leave It Open Ended

Let the movie have a beginning, middle and end. Don’t plan on eight sequels and instead bring the movie to a neat conclusion. There can be room to grow, but I’ve always felt like movies get in trouble when they plan too far in advance. Test the water with a clean 90-minute film and if audiences like it there will be another. What I love about the Obi-Wan world is that there are a lot of unknowns to his exile and those lost years are ripe for awesome individual stories.

What do you think about these five steps? Who would you like to see direct? Would you like to see an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film?

Let me know in the comments.