Ewan McGregor's return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise is not final yet. For years, the actor has been rumored to reprise his prequel trilogy role in some kind of project starring the fan-favorite Jedi. At one point, it was believed Obi-Wan would be the subject of one of the Star Wars spinoff films, but the disappointing box office performance of Solo forced Lucasfilm to change those plans. Earlier this year, it was reported the Obi-Wan movie was being retooled into a streaming series for the Disney Plus platform launching in November.
Through all of this, McGregor has maintained he would happily return to the galaxy far, far away, and it recently looked like he was going to get that chance. Just last night, word broke that McGregor had signed on for an Obi-Wan TV show that would be an exclusive to Disney Plus. However, fans celebrating McGregor's triumphant return should pump the breaks, because it is not official just yet.
Deadline has amended their report from yesterday. Rather than confirming McGregor is indeed coming back to Star Wars, the wording is altered to say the actor is "in talks" about playing Obi-Wan again.
In talks, of course, means McGregor has yet to actually sign on the dotted line. It sounds like he's still in the process of negotiating a deal with Disney and Lucasfilm, and it's unknown how far along these discussions are. There's always a chance the talks fall through and the Obi-Wan series never comes to be, but the safe money would be on the two sides agreeing to terms in the near future. As stated above, McGregor has always expressed interest in coming back to Star Wars, so it would take an unforeseeable turn of events for him to pass on the project. An Obi-Wan movie or series has been in high demand amongst fans since Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, and all parties involved would like to make something happen sooner than later.
The timing of this is very fascinating, as the 2019 D23 Expo takes place next week. After skipping Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Star Wars is poised to have a big presence at D23, with panels showcasing The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker. Perhaps they'll also make room to briefly discuss what they have cooked up for the future and officially announce McGregor's return. With the Star Wars films going on hiatus for a few years after The Rise of Skywalker, the Disney Plus shows will be the most high-profile projects the franchise has to offer. There would be few ways to better generate buzz and excitement than to have Obi-Wan return.
Source: Deadline