Ewan McGregor opens up about reuniting with Hayden Christensen for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 25. The show will see McGregor's highly-anticipated reprisal of his role as the titular Jedi Master, in addition the return of Christensen to the Star Wars universe as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Other confirmed cast members include Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse as Owen and Beru Lars, and Sung Kang, Indira Varma, Kumail Nanjiani, and others in unconfirmed roles.
It's been 17 years since McGregor last played the beloved Jedi, though many iterations of Obi-Wan have been seen across animated Star Wars projects, such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. The last time audiences saw McGregor and Christensen on screen together in live-action was their epic face-off on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, with many fans eager to see the rematch between the former Master-Padawan duo. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will pick up approximately 10 years after Episode III and is expected to feature glimpses of a young Luke Skywalker's upbringing on the desert planet, with Obi-Wan in hiding from the lurking hand of the Empire.
While speaking with Forbes, McGregor talks all things Kenobi and describes his experience working with Christensen again as "fantastic." While carefully avoiding any spoilers, McGregor praises director Deborah Chow for her extensive knowledge of the Star Wars universe, and promises that the show is "really going to satisfy" fans. McGregor's full quote can be read below:
It was a great experience. Deborah Chow directed all the episodes and she’s really good. She directed a couple [episodes] of The Mandalorian and she’s a really great director. She really knows the Star Wars world, inside out, far more than I do (laughs). We just had a great time. I think it’s no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again.
After keeping much of any information about the show under wraps since it was first announced back in 2019, Star Wars finally debuted the first official poster for Obi-Wan Kenobi on Wednesday. The poster sees Obi-Wan trekking across the Tatooine desert, in addition to revealing its May 25 release date - a nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which premiered on the same day in 1977. Fans have speculated that a full Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer will premiere during this year's Super Bowl LVI, with plenty of other big-budget blockbusters and TV shows buying out spots for advertisements. Regardless of whether viewers will get their first glimpse at the series during the Big Game, it's safe to say fans are desperate to see a full trailer, with only a short Obi-Wan Kenobi sizzle reel being released so far.
With The Book of Boba Fett season 1 having just wrapped up, hype is quickly building for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It's sure to be one of Star Wars' biggest projects to date, with such an iconic character finally making his way to live-action TV after years of scrapped ideas for an Obi-Wan spinoff movie. It's certainly an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan, with titles such as Ahsoka, Andor, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and others all making their way to Disney+ in the coming years. It'll certainly be interesting to see which direction the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will take the character in, and if McGregor and Christensen's reunion will really live up to fans' very high expectations.
Source: Forbes