The highly, highly anticipated Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi will now hit Disney+ in May, and returning star Ewan McGregor has heaped praise on director Deborah Chow and her knowledge of the Star Wars universe, hyped up his clash with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, and concluded that Obi-Wan Kenobi will “satisfy Star Wars fans.” Forbes spoke exclusively with McGregor about his return to the role, which he has not played since 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
“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. I’m not going to give away anything else about the storyline, only I think it’s really going to satisfy Star Wars fans.”
For McGregor, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a long time coming, with the actor having always envisioned a story set between his younger take on the Jedi Master and Alec Guiness’ aged version of Old Ben Kenobi from the original Star Wars trilogy.
“I always felt there was a story between Episode III where I finished playing Obi-Wan in the movies and Episode IV where Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The [Obi-Wan Kenobi series] writers and Deb and I and everyone, I think we crafted or they crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi Will Return on Disney+ in May
It has now been revealed that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will land on Disney+ on May 25, with the release date announcement coming alongside a stunning poster teasing the return of the beloved Jedi.
Not only will Obi-Wan Kenobi make a comeback, but he will also be joined by Anakin Skywalker, played once again by Hayden Christensen. Now transformed into Darth Vader, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will see the friends-turned-enemies clash lightsabers all over again, in a battle that has been described by Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy as "the rematch of the century," with several pieces of concept art teasing their deeply personal face-off.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will take place ten years after the ending of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, picking up with an older, no doubt much lonelier Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is now in exile on Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker. The limited series will pick up with the Star Wars hero during a much darker time than audiences are perhaps used to, where just being a Jedi is not safe.
Written by Joby Harold and directed by Deborah Chow, Obi-Wan Kenobi stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader, Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, and Bonnie Piesse as Beru Whitesun Lars, as well as Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, Maya Erskine, and Rory Ross who have been cast in undisclosed roles, Obi-Wan Kenobi is scheduled to premiere on May 25, 2022, and will consist of six episodes.