There has been a lot going on in the Star Wars universe over the course of the last 6 months and while The Last Jedi and the announcement of Rian Johnson's new trilogy as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story are taking up most of the news, development of the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie has been quietly working towards an early 2019 production start date. It was revealed over the summer that Academy Award nominated director Stephen Daldry was in talks to direct the latest Star Wars spin-off, which still remains to be officially confirmed. But, with a production start time on the horizon, it's easy to assume that a director is in place and that at least the first draft of the script has been completed.

A new report has surfaced and it reveals that the Obi-Wan movie is set to begin production in January of 2019 at Pinewood Studios in England. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is listed as a producer alongside English producer Tracey Seaward with Stephen Daldry's name attached as director. We're still a little over a year from production officially starting and a lot can change between now and then, but for now, it is presumably safe to assume that Daldry will be directing. Disney's Bob Eiger had previously stated that the next set of Star Wars movies could be ready as soon as 2020 and it is looking like the Obi-Wan spin-off will fit into that timeline.

In addition to the Kenobi project, Lucasfilm is also in the very beginning stages of development of the long awaited Boba Fett spin-off as well as the Yoda spin-off. A Boba Fett movie has been talked about for years and even had director Josh Trank attached before his Fantastic Four movie came out and tanked in a spectacular fashion. Trank even made a sizzle reel for the spin-off that was to be shown to fans at the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, but it was quickly pulled along with the 2018 release date. A standalone Yoda movie has been rumored since 2013, though not as much information is known about how far along the project has gone since then.

The Obi-Wan movie does not have a cast yet, but Ewan McGregor has expressed interest in returning to the character for the spin-off. McGregor had a quick voice cameo in 2015's The Force Awakens and many have been holding out hope that he'll be shown in The Last Jedi, but nothing has been confirmed at this point. Ewan McGregor would be the obvious choice, but it isn't clear if Lucasfilm will want to go that route or go for a new actor to portray the Jedi Knight.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, with the production name Joshua Tree, is still quite far away and a lot can happen in the time between now and the production start. However, it's nice to see that things are moving forward and that we'll get to see some more of Obi-Wan on the big screen. We'll have our first real taste of a spin-off featuring beloved characters when Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters in May and tells the story of a young Han Solo. You can read more about the January 2019 production start of the Obi-Wan spin-off via Omega Underground.