Star Wars Obi-Wan Spinoff Movie Rumored to Premiere on Disney's Streaming Service

Following the poor performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the fate of future Star Wars Story films appears to be somewhat up in the air but now a new report says that at least one of them may find a home on Disney's streaming service.

According to The Playlist, the Obi-Wan spinoff film may be held to be part of Disney's upcoming and still unnamed subscription-based streaming service. The report -- which even The Playlist puts in the "hard rumor" category -- states that they were told by a Disney source six months ago that the studio wanted the Obi-Wan film to help compete against the streaming giant Netflix.

While this would have seemed unlikely before Solo's debut, that certainly has changed. Last week, Collider reported that following Solo's box office failure Lucasfilm had decided to shelve all of the Star Wars Story films to instead focus on Star Wars: Episode IX and whatever trilogy of movies will follow it. Among the shelved films? The long-rumored Obi-Wan film from director Stephen Daldry. However, the next day, ABC News reported that Collider's report was "inaccurate," and that "multiple" Star Wars films were currently in development that have not been officially announced. The report was clear that those films are separate from Rian Johnson's new trilogy and those coming from Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

If Disney is scaling back a bit on the Star Wars Story films for the purpose of keeping them for their own streaming service, it would actually make sense. Both an Obi-Wan spinoff and a Boba Fett spinoff have been much-requested by Star Wars fans for some time though neither project has been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm. With two eagerly anticipated films being available to fans only through the service, it would be a way to help ensure that fans would add a Disney subscription to an ever-growing list of services.

It's also possible, though, that Disney scaling back on the Star Wars Story films may have nothing to do with their streaming service. Star Wars Net reported last week that Disney is planning to steer away from unproven, un-tested filmmakers going forward, choosing instead to work with directors accustomed to big budget productions. With Solo, original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by Ron Howard, leading to a massive rework of the film. The change likely added a lot to the film's overall budget, theoretically positioning Solo to have a harder climb for profit at the box office. By shifting back to a "tried and true" approach to filmmakers, Disney could have a more streamlined and less costly path to future Star Wars Story films.

At this point, the only things that are certain are that there are question marks around what's next for the Star Wars Story films. At least fans can count on Episode IX hitting theaters somewhat soon. That film is slated to open December 20, 2019.

What do you think about the idea of the Obi-Wan movie being saved for Disney's streaming service? Let us know in the comments below!