The villainous Grand Inquisitor is reportedly set to appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Introduced into the Star Wars franchise in 2014 with the series Star Wars Rebels, the Inquisitors are a group of force-sensitive individuals who serve Emperor Palpatine to hunt down the remaining Jedi following Order 66, with the group answering to that of The Grand Inquisitor. The characters have made a number of appearances in the Star Wars comics as well as the video game Jedi: Fallen Order.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the next major Star Wars series arriving on Disney+and will see Ewan McGregor returning as the Jedi Master in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The cast includes returning faces like Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, and Bonnie Piesse as Beru Lars. The series has also cast a wide array of newcomers to the franchise including O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals), Maya Erskine (PEN15), Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), and Rupert Friend (Homeland) to the cast in unknown roles.
It appears that Rupert Friend's role has been revealed, and it is a character Star Wars fans know well. According to the site Bespin Bulletin, Friend will indeed be playing the role of The Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The character made his first appearance in Star Wars: Rebels, voiced by Jason Isaac (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). While nothing is officially confirmed, the report says Friend was seen sporting white make-up similar to that seen on the character in Star Wars: Rebels. Concept art for the series had previously hinted at The Inquisitors being a part of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Star Wars: Rebels established the Grand Inquisitor was once one of the Jedi Temple Guards making him a fallen Jedi and possibly someone Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker crossed paths during the Clone Wars, suggesting the character's history will be touched upon. The role of The Grand Inquisitor is likely a smaller one and not one of the series' main antagonists since the character will survive the events of the series to star in Star Wars: Rebels but also the fact that the series is set to feature more Inquisitors. Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) and Sung Kang (Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift) are rumored to be playing Inquisitors on the series, suggesting they will be the main antagonist.
This will mark the Inquisitor's first appearance in live-action and could be a major element that comes into play with other upcoming Star Wars series set during the Age of the Empire like Andor. This continues a recent tradition of the Star Wars animated characters making their live-action debut in the Disney+ series. Ahsoka Tano and Bo Katan on The Mandalorian and Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett are the most recent examples of this, and more are set to come in the future. In addition to The Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natasha Liu is set to play Sabine Wren in the upcoming Ahsoka series, which is also rumored to include live-action appearances of Star Wars: Rebels characters, Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn. Star Wars is creating a much more interconnected universe where live-action and animated characters can crossover and pay off storylines from one medium to another.
Source: Bespin Bulletin