Say what you will of the prequel film series to the original Star Wars trilogy, but one thing that cannot be argued is that the gremlins behind The Phantom Menace cast well when it came to putting accomplished actor Ewan McGregor into the big shoes of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor equipped himself so well in those three prequels that it’s easy to forget now that there was some real handwringing among fans when it came to having the Trainspotting and Shallow Grave star pinch-hit for Sir Alec Guinness. Thank the Force – and casting director Robin Gurland – that it all played out quite magnificently over the course of those three movies, with McGregor being a true highlight for the much-maligned stories that George Lucas had devised.
For years there have been rumblings in the Force that we might actually get a full-fledged live action series devoted to chronicling the exploits of Kenobi set to take place immediately after the events of Episode III and before the epic goings-on of Episode IV. That longstanding dream is finally materializing in the form of the long-rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi series and even more news of that eagerly anticipated show was revealed this very day, according to our “Han shot first” proponents over at The Hollywood Reporter.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will officially premiere from Disney+ sometime in 2022, but in order to whet everyone’s appetites, The House That Uncle Walt Built revealed some interesting tidbits for the new series during their Disney+ Day.
Director Deborah Chow and series star Ewan McGregor (obviously reprising his take on Kenobi) dropped the news that, as the series opens, Obi-Wan is living in exile on Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine, protectively keeping an eye on a young Luke from a safe distance. Chow teased that it’s indeed a dark time to be a Jedi, with Jedi hunters apparently hot on the heels of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“There’s a hunger for this character to come back,” McGregor noted on Friday. “The fans have been waiting long enough.”
To sweeten the nostalgia pot, it’s been announced that Kenobi’s onetime student and now chief foe Darth Vader will be an active part of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Actor Hayden Christiansen will be returning alongside McGregor to pick up where the two last left off in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Will there be a rematch? Maybe, says McGregor, who teases that the two might just “have another swing at each other. It might be quite satisfying for everybody.”
