Is this why a Star Wars Obi-Wan spin-off hasn't been announced?

When it was announced that the ‘Star Wars’ saga would continue with Episodes 7, 8 and 9, and expand with spin-off movies, many expected Obi-Wan Kenobi to be the subject of one.

No such film has been announced however, and a new report claims to know why. Be warned: while this story doesn’t go into specifics, it would be viewed by many as a spoiler.

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On the latest episode of the Rebel Force Radio podcast (via Geek Tyrant), Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican said: “I have heard rumors that the one reason they haven’t moved sooner on Obi-Wan is that they’re not done with Obi-Wan quite yet in the Saga films.

“So I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Obi-Wan [solo film] happen beyond ‘Episode 9’.”

If true (and Breznican is known to have close ties to LucasFilm and the ‘Star Wars’ machine) this means Obi-Wan will be playing a role in the unfolding story of Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren in either Rian Johnson’s ‘Episode 8’ next year, or ‘Episode 9’ further down the line.

Obi-Wan already appeared in ‘The Force Awakens’ during Rey’s vision, during which the line “Rey, these are your first steps” is said by a combination of Alec Guinness (using old dialogue) and Ewan McGregor – the two actors to portray Obi-Wan.

McGregor has expressed an interest in portraying the character again following his stint in the Jedi robes during George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. The Scot’s performance in those films is widely regarded as one of their few positives.

Two ‘Star Wars’ anthology movies have been announced so far. ‘Rogue One’ – which tells the story of the Rebel effort to steal the Death Star’s plans – is just a few weeks away from release, while a second about a young Han Solo is set for 2018.

A third was originally announced and ‘Chronicle’s Josh Trank was on board to direct it, but after parting ways with Disney and LucasFilm the project – believed to be about bounty hunter Boba Fett – has been shelved.

While definitely just a rumour at this stage, the potential for Obi-Wan to figure in the upcoming episodic releases is interesting. For one, it could be a sign of Rey’s potential parentage (or grand-parentage) – which has been a mystery since ‘The Force Awakens’ was released a year ago.

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ will be released on 15 December. The untitled ‘Episode 8’ will be released exactly one year later.