Disney’s upcoming Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most anticipated releases of this summer, and as the premiere date fast approaches, more details about the show are emerging. Director Deborah Chow, who has helmed all six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, recently called the series a "character-driven story" and compared it to films like Joker and Logan. Speaking at the Obi-Wan Kenobi Virtual Press Conference (via The Direct), Chow said,
"I think I was most excited about getting the opportunity to do a character-driven story. You know, in a similar way—you know, obviously, it’s a different tone, but something like Joker [and] Logan, where you take one character out of a big franchise, and then you really have the time and you go a lot deeper with the characters. So that to me seemed really exciting to do in Star Wars."
Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and follows the titular character, played by Ewan McGregor, as he is hunted by the Empire. McGregor is returning to the Star Wars franchise after almost two decades and will reunite with his Revenge of the Sith co-star Hayden Christensen, who plays Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. The promos for Obi-Wan Kenobi tease a somewhat serious take on a Star Wars spinoff, more in line with Rogue One than Solo.
However, that’s only at the beginning of the series, and eventually, McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi will transform into the hopeful, humorous Jedi Master, portrayed by Sir Alex Guinness, that fans loved in 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope. Deborah Chow echoed the sentiments, saying,
"Yea, the tone—obviously we're starting in a pretty dark time period, and that was kind of quite interesting. Not only to start with Obi-Wan's character in kind of a dark place, but also starting in a period in the timeline that's quite dark. So [it] kind of actually gave us a very interesting starting place for the series. But I think with the character of Kenobi, for me he's always felt like there's so much warmth, there's so much compassion and humor, that it is kind of a character of light and hope. It was interesting for us to try and keep the balance of that, of the darkness, but also still maintaining the hope coming from the character."
Obi-Wan Kenobi Promises A Unique Take On The Fan-Favorite Jedi Master
While Joker and Logan will go down as two of the greatest comic book movies ever made, a Star Wars series inspired by the films was probably the last thing fans expected to hear, considering the films are quite violent and overly dark. But Joker is also a deep character study about a flawed individual who starts out somewhat conflicted but by the end, completely turns into a murderous villain, while Obi-Wan Kenobi will likely follow the opposite trajectory.
As fans will get to see Ben Kenobi’s adventures leading up to A New Hope, the upcoming series will also feature a previously unheard-of duel between Kenobi and his former pupil, Darth Vader. Hayden Christensen is excited about reprising the role and also thankful to the fans who’ve proven to be surprisingly appreciative of him.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is written by Joby Harold, Stuart Beattie, Hossein Amini, and Andrew Stanton, with Harold also serving as showrunner. The series features a stacked cast comprising Joel Edgerton, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Kumail Nanjiani.
Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts its first two episodes on Disney+ on May 27, 2022.