- Ewan McGregor, the Scottish actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, could be returning to the character for a new show on Disney+.
- McGregor is still only in "talks" at this point, but he has long expressed interest in returning to the role first made famous by Sir Alec Guinness in the original Star Wars trilogy.
- Disney+ is a new streaming service that will debut in November and will feature all Star Wars movies on demand, as well as new Star Wars spinoff TV series.
Two huge moments happen early on in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope that go on to set the course for the entire franchise. The first is Darth Vader's appearance aboard the battle-damaged Rebel Blockade Runner. Uncaringly stepping over the bodies of his fallen comrades, Darth Vader's ominous presence makes us all ask the question: "Who is that?"
Then, about 15 minutes later, another arrival—similar to Darth Vader's own—takes place in the deserts of Tatooine. However, this mysterious individual saves Luke Skywalker's life, and when he removes his hood we meet "Old Ben."
With these two characters, Star Wars fascination with duality—light vs. dark, good vs. evil—is established. But in the 40+ years since these two characters' first appearance, Darth Vader has gone on to become a continuing obsession with the Star Wars franchise (Kylo Ren is literally obsessed with his long-dead grandfather) and Obi-Wan has slowly become a footnote (getting just one recorded line in The Force Awakens).
But that may soon change. Deadline reports that Ewan McGregor, the Scottish actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels, could be returning to the character for a new show on Disney+, a new streaming channel set to debut this November.
Deadline notes that McGregor is only in "talks" at this point, so nothing is certain, but the actor has long expressed interest in returning to the role. In 2017, Jimmy Kimmel asked McGregor if he'd return to the role, and McGregor responded "I would ... It's got to the point now where it looks like I'm touting for work at Disney's front door ... but of course, I'd be happy to do it."
This isn't the first rumor to involve Obi-Wan's return. For years, there was speculation that one of Disney's one-off Star Wars films would feature Obi-Wan Kenobi. But after the unenthusiastic response to Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney announced it would be pumping the brakes on its ambitious Star Wars cinematic output.
But there is no character—and actor—more deserving of a comeback than McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi. While there aren't many bright spots in the Star Wars prequels, two characters stand out—Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ian McDiarmid's Emperor Palpatine. With this announcement, it appears Disney also agrees, as Palpatine is set to appear (or that's at least what his maniacal cackle suggests) in The Rise of Skywalker, which comes out later this year.
In the prequels, McGregor's acting talents were largely held back by poor dialogue and an over-reliance on CGI. McGregor himself even said that acting with so many green screens was a "nightmare."
Disney's Star Wars, under the direction of J.J. Abrams, has reintroduced physical sets and practical effects, doing away with George Lucas's obsession with CGI-ing everything. If Disney+ follows suit (as it appears to be doing with The Mandalorian), McGregor would finally be able to let loose his acting talents (which are plentiful) on the Star Wars universe.
Right now there are no other details surrounding the TV show, including plot, other roles, producing credits, or even a release date. However, with Obi-Wan disappearing into the Tatooine desert and reappearing two decades later from that same desert—and also considering McGregor's age—it's most likely that any TV show would be set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Star Wars comics and other media have previously explored this part of Obi-Wan's history, but who knows if Disney will stick to those stories or not.
Hopefully, McGregor still wants to reprise one of his most iconic roles. But in the end, it's probably best to take advice from Kenobi himself: "You must do what you feel is right, of course."
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.
