Ewan McGregor is set to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new “Star Wars” series on Disney+. Hello there!
The McGregor-led series has been rumored for quite some time, and Disney has finally begun to lift the curtain on the highly-anticipated project. Casting and plot details have been slowly teased over the last few months and, though the series is still a ways away, production is expected to begin soon.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is one of several “Star Wars” titles that will exclusively stream on Disney+. The streaming service hit the ground running with “The Mandalorian” in 2019, which returned for a second season last year (a third season is in the works). An animated series based on the Bad Batch clone trooper squad is drawing closer, while Temeura Morrison will portray legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett in the upcoming “The Book of Boba Fett.” A show centered on ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano and a “Rangers of the New Republic” series are also in the works.
“Star Wars” fanatics will have to wait a bit for most of these series to premiere, but in the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi” show:
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the new Disney+ limited series from Lucasfilm, will debut exclusively on Disney+ May 27. The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master.
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Disney’s official synopsis for the series reads:
“The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’ where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat: the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.”
There’s about a 19-year gap between the events of “Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars: A New Hope,” the franchise’s first film. Therefore, the upcoming Disney+ series takes place when Obi-Wan is still (presumably) in hiding on Tatooine and well before Luke Skywalker learns about his destiny.
Ewan McGregor is set to portray Obi-Wan Kenobi. He previously starred in the three “Star Wars” prequel films as the famed Jedi (originated by Alec Guinness). Hayden Christensen, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the prequel trilogy, will also reprise his role.
Disney announced a slew of other cast members in late March: Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie will all appear in the series.
The series’ casting is an eclectic mix of mainstream stars and indie favorites: Nanjiani will play a main role in Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Eternals,” while Safdie is best-known for co-directing the acclaimed “Uncut Gems.” Edgarton and Piesse previously appeared in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, respectively.
In April, it was announced that “PEN15’s” co-creator and star Maya Erskine will join the series in a supporting role for three episodes.
Disney veteran Deborah Chow will direct the series. She previously directed two episodes of “The Mandalorian” Season 1 and also directed two episodes of the Netflix Marvel series “Jessica Jones.” She has also directed episodes of “Better Call Saul,” “American Gods,” and “Fear the Walking Dead.”
The series is executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and writer Joby Harold. The casting director is two-time Emmy winner Carmen Cuba, whose previous work includes “Stranger Things,” “We Are Who We Are,” “Devs,” and “Mrs. America” (as well as films like “The Matrix 4,” “Queen & Slim,” and “Alien: Covenant.”) Cuba is a frequent collaborator with Steven Soderbergh, casting projects from “Magic Mike” and “High Flying Bird” to “The Knick” and “Let Them All Talk.”
Ewan McGregor played Obi Wan in “Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith.” How will this series tie back to those films?
“I mean it’s quite interesting, after the experience of making the first three films and living through sort of their reception in the world, which wasn’t always glowing, I have to say,” McGregor said in a recent IGN interview. “And then now, meeting the generation who we made those films for, the children then — and now, people in their late teens or early 20s, those people who were kids who we made those films for, they loved them. To them, they’re their Star Wars films, you know? For us, it was the original films of the ‘70s, but for them, it was our films were their Star Wars. So to step back into his shoes again now and do a series, a whole series about Obi-Wan Kenobi for those fans, it just makes me really happy.”
Legendary “Star Wars” composer John Williams confirmed in February 2022 that he will return with the Jedi theme song for “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Per Variety, Williams has written the musical signature the Ewan McGregor-led Disney+ series, which premieres May 25. Williams was spotted in a recording session with a Los Angeles orchestra, but no additional details have been revealed. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” marks Williams’ return to TV in over a decade. Williams previously won an Oscar for the original 1977 “Star Wars” film and landed five subsequent nominations for the sequel films.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed that “Obi-Wan Kenobi” was originally much more sinister. Early scripts from original writer Hossein Amini were reworked to create a “hopeful, uplifting” series instead.
“It’s tricky when you’re starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of ‘Revenge of the Sith,'” Kennedy told Entertainment Weekly. “That’s a pretty bleak period of time. You can’t just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel.”
The first scripts included an appearance by Sith Lord, Darth Maul, who would have been hunting a young Luke Skywalker. The subplot and respective characters were reportedly cut for the revamped series ahead of production.
“Army of the Dead” writer Joby Harold was brought in to overhaul the scripts and work closely with series director Deborah Chow. Star Ewan McGregor hinted, however, that the final product still maintains some of that quintessential “Star Wars” darkness.
“Obi-Wan is lost,” McGregor told EW. “He’s a broken man after what happened with the Jedi order at the end of ‘Episode III,’ but also what happened with Anakin; that he lost him to the dark side. He feels an enormous amount of responsibility for that, and guilt.”
Ewan McGregor admitted that seeing co-star Hayden Christensen transform into iconic baddie Darth Vader was truly a terrifying experience.
“It was like I was six again,” McGregor recalled to Total Film. “It scared the shit out of me. I’m not joking. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.'”
Christensen called it an “honor” to don the Darth Vader suit once more, calling “Obi-Wan Kenobi” a “natural continuation” for the villian.
May the Force be with them! Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen watched all of the “Star Wars” films to prep for “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and Christensen even took it one step further and viewed animated series “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” to understand the full canon.
And for good reason: Christensen is also slated to appear in Disney+ series “Ahsoka,” based on a character originated for the animated series “The Clone Wars.” Rosario Dawson portrays Ahsoka in the upcoming live-action version after bringing the character to life on “The Mandalorian.”
