Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader will meet again in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show. Hayden Christensen is confirmed to return as Darth Vader for the show, alongside Ewan McGregor, both of whom starred in the divisive prequel trilogy in the early 2000's. The announcement piled on hype to what is already a highly anticipated show that will follow the characters in the years after their last encounter in Revenge of the Sith. The series will follow Obi-Wan as he watches over Luke Skywalker on the planet Tatooine in a self-imposed exile.
Directed by Deborah Chow, who has also helmed episodes of The Mandalorian, the show is expected to start filming in January in and around London. It will be the second live action Star Wars show for Disney+ ahead of a massive slate that will see the platform release 10 Star Wars shows. The matchup will be the first time Darth Vader and Obi-Wan meet after their battle on Mustafar, years before their duel in A New Hope. The battle on Mustafar left Obi-Wan emotionally scarred and led to Anakin being transformed into Vader after the young Jedi lost both his legs and Obi-Wan left him for dead.
Description of the footage showed at Disney's Investor Day (via ComicBook) teases the Darth Vader / Obi-Wan rematch. The duel is touted as the "rematch of the century" and the concept art shown teases that. Chow went so far as to promise the series will "definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again", as two lightsabers clash, one red and one blue, in concept art teasing the upcoming duel. In addition to showing Obi-Wan on a journey that expands beyond Tatooine, more concept art showed Darth Vader atop his throne, communicating with a hologram, likely his master Emperor Palpatine.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is sure to slowly build to this moment. While Obi-Wan's main goal will be to protect Luke, it sounds like the show will see him leave Tatooine on important business as the Galactic Empire attempts to wipe out the remaining Jedi. Obi-Wan will encounter Vader's forces, discovering at some point that Anakin survived their encounter on Mustafar. That revelation will likely be a pivotal emotional turning point for McGregor's character.
The rematch bewteen Obi-Wan and Vader would've been highly anticipated regardless of the circumstances, but seeing as the prequels were as divisive as they were, Obi-Wan Kenobi gives the chance for these characters to reunite in a new and exciting way. Alec Guinness managed to turn his brief appearance in A New Hope into one of the most iconic roles of the original trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi will be able to complete that journey, providing important context for the pair's inevitable duel in the first Star Wars film that sees Darth Vader strike down his former master.
Source: Disney (via ComicBook)