There are hundreds of characters known to the Star Wars universe, but there are few who can match Obi-Wan Kenobi in popularity. The sagely Jedi was introduced to moviegoers decades ago with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Alec Guinness brought the beloved character to life, and then Ewan McGregor inherited the role when Lucasfilm rolled out the Star Wars prequel trilogy. For years now, fans have wondered whether the studio was planning to treat the character with a solo film, and those rumors have only grown in light of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Now, the spin-off’s director is saying he’d love to see a standalone Obi-Wan film hit theaters.

In an interview with Fandango, director Gareth Edwards talked about his passion for the original Star Wars trilogy and its undiscovered stories.

"To be honest, Rogue One is the period I love," he said. "It’s connecting to the original New Hope. If someone made other films in that era – and I don’t necessarily think this is happening, I have no inside knowledge – but that desire to see Obi-Wan Kenobi. Tattooine, basically, I love. As a kid I remember wanting to grow up there; anything in that "Original Trilogy" era I am just besotted with, and it’s just like going back home to your childhood."

Clearly, there is an element of nostalgia wrapped into Edwards’ interest in the original trilogy. The saga kicked off in 1977 when Edwards was barely two years old, but the trilogy’s pop culture presence still enthralled the budding filmmaker.

Now that Edwards has commented on the a possible Obi-Wan film, fans are naturally starting to wonder whether he’d be involved with the project. ComicBook.com’s Lucas Siegel has shared his thoughts about whether Edwards would team up with Lucasfilm once more to tackle the ambitious story.

“Could Edwards even come back and direct it? I think so,” Siegel said from San Francisco where he’s currently attending press junkets for Rogue One.

“Literally everyone I talked to this weekend, from the actors to Lucasfilm execs to the mocap team and ILM and even PR simply loved working with him. It's very clear Lucasfilm would be interested in working with Edwards again, and with his unbridled passion for Star Wars there's little doubt that if they made that call he'd pick up the phone.”

Of course, Edwards may have to wait a little bit until a standalone Obi-Wan film gets underway. In a recent podcast talk, Entertainment Weekly’s Anthony Breznican nodded to a rumored reason why Lucasfilm hasn’t pursued a solo feature yet.

(Photo: Lucasfilm)

MORE: Ewan McGregor Updates Fans About Obi-Wan Standalone / Ewan McGregor Addresses Obi-Wan Film Rumors / What's Holding The Obi-Wan Solo Feature Up?

"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," he explained. "So I wouldn't be surprised to see an Obi-Wan [solo film] happen beyond Episode IX."

So, what do you think? Would you be interested in seeing Obi-Wan return to theaters in a standalone film? Do you think Edwards would take on the movie following his stint with Rogue One? Let us know in the comments below!