Ewan McGregor says he's more excited to play Obi-Wan on the Disney+ TV show than he was before The Phantom Menace. The actor portrayed a younger version of the Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, becoming a quick fan-favorite in the process. That's why there was so much interest in seeing McGregor reprise the role in a new project after Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012. For years, there were rumors about McGregor's return, but it wasn't until last year's D23 Expo when it was officially confirmed an Obi-Wan TV show is coming to Disney+.
Since that time, the project has experienced some ups-and-downs, as Obi-Wan is currently undergoing rewrites. Still, anticipation remains high for the show and viewers are excited to see what Lucasfilm comes up with. It'll unfortunately be some time before Disney+ subscribers see what the studio has in store, but McGregor is more than ready to put Obi-Wan's robes back on.
In an interview with ACE Universe, McGregor discussed his upcoming Star Wars comeback and compared his level of enthusiasm to the first time he took on the role in George Lucas' prequel trilogy. Check out his quote below:
"I'm more excited about playing Obi-Wan again now than I was even the first time."
That's a bold statement, considering the magnitude of The Phantom Menace when that first released, but McGregor is clearly thrilled by the opportunity to revisit one of his most famous characters. There's the potential to do something a little outside-the-box with Star Wars here, as Obi-Wan is expected to be a smaller, character-driven drama that covers Kenobi's trauma after the prequel trilogy's events. That approach is very different from the spectacle-driven action of the Star Wars movies and should give McGregor strong material to work with as an actor. It's easy to see why he's so excited about the prospect of returning, and hopefully Obi-Wan delivers on its potential.
The Obi-Wan TV show will also likely be the final time McGregor plays the Jedi onscreen, which is another factor to consider regarding his excitement. He probably sees this as a chance to do something really special with the character and the franchise, going off on a high note with an emotionally powerful sendoff. While a majority of Obi-Wan's life has already been covered in canon, there are some notable events the show can cover, such as Obi-Wan learning Darth Vader survived Mustafar. The Mandalorian's shown Star Wars is more than capable of delivering memorable moments in the live-action TV medium, so right now there's little reason to think Obi-Wan won't be able to follow suit.
Source: ACE Universe