In a Fantha Tracks exclusive we can reveal that studio based pre-production has begun on an Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars movie, and that filming will take place in 2019 for a 2020 release.
The long rumoured movie has never been officially announced, but a director (long rumoured to be Stephen Daldry) and a writing team, are understood to have been working on the movie since late last year.
However, our well placed source has seen sight of documents that confirm the following:
The project is sufficiently along that an art department is now in full pre-production mode at Pinewood Studios, England with ancillary work being carried out at Industrial Light & Magic in London. A number of concept artists, prop modellers, and storyboard artists are working as a team across the two locations on the film, with the group growing in numbers every month.
Contracts have also been extended to a number of crew who have worked on various Star Wars films produced at Pinewood under the Disney era, to join the production when their work on Episode IX ends. This will see the Obi-Wan crew grow gradually over the remainder of the year but primarily from October on wards.
Pre-production will continue at Pinewood whilst Episode IX shoots from this summer through the end of the year, at which point production of the Obi-Wan movie has been scheduled to move onto stages in mid January 2019 with the main shoot to begin in April of 2019.
The project is being developed under the corporate name of PLT Productions (UK) Ltd.
The scheduled release date is December 2020.
The documents do not reveal any details on casting, but keep your eyes on Fantha Tracks for more information on the production as we get it and hopefully official word on the production from Lucasfilm.
The news comes fives years to the day that Lucasfilm announced production of Episode VII: The Force Awakens would take place at the same location, Pinewood Studios.
