Ewan McGregor opens up about reprising his Star Wars role in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show. After Obi-Wan's portrayal by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy, the Scottish actor debuted as the iconic Jedi in 1999's The Phantom Menace when he was still a young Padawan. McGregor returned to play Obi-Wan for the remainder of the prequel trilogy, 2002's Attack of the Clones and 2005's Revenge of the Sith. Though he was originally going to get his own spin-off film, Obi-Wan Kenobi was reworked as a limited series for Disney+ after the commercial failure of Solo.
The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series is written by Joby Harold (Army of the Dead) and helmed by Deborah Chow, who previously directed two episodes of The Mandalorian. Though plot details remain slim, the series will be set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and feature not only the highly-anticipated return of McGregor as the titular Jedi, but his former Padawan turned Sith Lord, Darth Vader, portrayed by Hayden Christensen. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse also return to reprise their roles from the prequel trilogy as Owen and Beru Lars. The show's cast also includes Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, Maya Erskine, and Rory Ross, all in undisclosed roles.
In a new interview with Forbes, McGregor opened up about how it felt suiting back up in Obi-Wan's iconic robes and playing the Jedi master once again. It was an interesting experience for the actor since the prequel trilogy's reception "wasn’t always glowing," though McGregor made the Obi-Wan series for those fans who grew up with and loved those films, an experience the actor "loved" and made him "really happy." Read what he had to say below:
Oh my gosh, well I loved playing him again. 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. 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.
It's understandable that McGregor is gushing with excitement for the Obi-Wan series given how long he's waited to reprise the role, after the canceled spin-off film and delays due to the pandemic. With Book of Boba Fett now having aired its finale, Obi-Wan Kenobi is likely the next Star Wars series on the docket, though it still does not yet have a trailer or release date. A report recently revealed the Obi-Wan series will air on Disney+ in May.
Looking ahead at the Disney+ schedule, Marvel's Moon Knight will air its finale on May 4 (unless there is a two-episode premiere like Hawkeye had), possibly dashing hopes of a May the Fourth premiere for Obi-Wan, which fans so desperately want. In terms of a trailer, look for Lucasfilm to potentially preview Obi-Wan Kenobi during this Sunday's Super Bowl. If not, fans can still see McGregor in a new Expedia commercial airing during the big game.
Source: Forbes
