The story of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series changed so much, and now Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy explains why. Star Wars' next Disney+ series is only roughly two months away from premiering. But the project has actually been in development for several years; it has had a couple of different iterations, resulting in a significantly different narrative.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was officially announced in 2019 at D23 Expo as an upcoming Disney+ series, with Ewan McGregor confirms to return as Obi-Wan. But, before Lucasfilm decided on the final story for Obi-Wan Kenobi, its narrative actually went through a few iterations. In fact, months before they started production, Kennedy ordered a total overhaul, which resulted in hiring a brand new writer in Joby Harold, replacing its original scribe, Hossein Amini. The change of writers resulted in a production shutdown, with filming pushed from August 2020 to January 2021. Now, Kennedy explains the thinking behind these decisions.
In a new interview with EW, Kennedy shared what motivated her decision to hire a new writer, explaining, "We're looking, ultimately, to make a hopeful, uplifting story. And 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. 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." Harold also spoke about how he sold himself as the writer who would be best to tackle Obi-Wan Kenobi's character, saying, "When I heard it was a character they were exploring, I very aggressively told them all the things I thought they should do."
Originally, McGregor's Star Wars return was supposed to be via a standalone project as part of Lucasfilm's movie anthology endeavors. But that all changed following the disappointing box office, not to mention the problematic production of Solo: A Star Wars Story. So, once Disney started to pivot to streaming with Disney+, it made sense to rework the project to be a TV show. But unlike The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi will be a limited series. Considering Disney Star Wars' track record when it comes to production woes, there was certainly merit in the public being worried about the upcoming McGregor show. But based on Kennedy's explanation, it seems like they remedied whatever issues they encountered with Obi-Wan Kenobi, with everyone seemingly excited to share it with the world.
While Kennedy didn't talk plot specifics, it's safe to expect that the series will leave the Jedi Master at a much better place than when the show starts. McGregor has said that Obi-Wan feels alone and defeated at the beginning of the Obi-Wan Kenobi project. But considering the narrative overhaul and the tone that the Lucasfilm head was aiming for, expect a relatively happy ending for the series.
Source: EW
