Lucasfilm Standalone Projects: Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Boba Fett & The Willow Movie

Box Office Performance of Solo

• 🎯 Solo: A Star Wars Story domestically earned $213 million, qualifying it as the sixth highest-grossing film of the year, but fell short of initial industry projections.
• 💰 Worldwide, the film grossed $392 million, with production costs estimated between $200-$250 million, making its financial success debatable.
• 📦 Despite box office struggles, revenue from digital downloads and Blu-ray/DVD sales are yet to be fully accounted for.

Star Wars Merchandise and Retail Challenges

• 🛒 The merchandising strategy for Solo faced challenges, with a lack of individual Han Solo and Lando Calrissian figures despite them being main characters.
• 🛍️ The retail program for Solo was smaller, partly due to the anticipation of Last Jedi merchandise dominating the holiday season.
• 📉 Discounted Star Wars merchandise, including Kylo Ren costumes and Solo jackets, was observed at outlet stores, indicating slow sales.

Potential Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett Spin-offs

• 🎬 A production designer revealed that work had begun on another Star Wars spin-off, potentially set on Tatooine, which was later shut down.
• 🌟 It's speculated that the canceled spin-off could have been for either the Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi movie.
• 💥 Boba Fett is considered a more commercially viable character due to his iconic costume and status as a top-selling action figure, making him a likely preferred choice for a spin-off.

Ewan McGregor's Interest in Obi-Wan Kenobi

• 🗣️ Ewan McGregor has expressed willingness to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, stating there are no current plans but that he'd be happy to do it if a good story existed.
• ⏳ The 19-year gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope presents a narrative window for an Obi-Wan story, focusing on his isolation on Tatooine and connection to the Force.
• 🎬 Lucasfilm had previously been in talks with director Stephen Daldry in 2017 for an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film, indicating prior interest in the project.

Ron Howard's Directorial Impact and Willow

• 🌟 Ron Howard's direction of Solo is compared to his work on Willow, highlighting his ability to craft compelling narratives and characters.
• 🎥 Howard himself stated that Willow was the film that made him the filmmaker he is today, due to the challenges of shooting battle scenes and special effects.
• 🚀 The discussion also touches upon the George Lucas Super Live Adventure, a touring show in Japan that featured Willow and Indiana Jones, and its potential but ultimately unrealized transfer to the US.

George Lucas's Innovation and Pixar's Origins

• 💡 George Lucas is recognized for his early adoption and pushing of CG technology, influencing the development of animation.
• 🖥️ Pixar's origins are linked to Lucasfilm's computer division, initially focused on developing rendering technology, with shorts created to demonstrate the Pixar Animation System.
• 📈 Steve Jobs's involvement with Pixar evolved significantly after the success of Toy Story, leading to more favorable profit-sharing and branding deals with Disney.