What "version" of Obi Wan do you like the best?

I don't know if this is a suitable thread but it is the nearest to a general thread on Kenobi that I could find.

Lucas envisioned Toshira Mifune in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi but I'm unclear as to whether it got further than Lucas' Wishlist, did Fox say no, did Mifune say no, etc.

Does anyone here know what actually happened?

And suppose Mifune had been cast as Obi-Wan, then what Japanese actor would have been right for the role as his younger self in TPM ?

 

I love Obi-wan in each of the PT films, but really love him in Revenge. You can see him looking a lot like a young Alec Guiness there. Darn I wish they'd do an ObiWan film and just release it for Disney streaming. Set it in the Clone Wars era even. I don't care. I just want an Obi Wan film!!!!

 

Obi-Wan has been consistently handled very well by LFL, I like all versions and hope we get to see more of Obi-Wan in the future.

 

I like the version of Obi-Wan in SW Rebels. His fight with Maul is exactly what I think about when a true Jedi Master fights with his light saber. Also the voice actor that they used did a pretty convincing voice of Sir Alec Guinness.

 

Mifune's relatives claimed that he refused the role of Obi-Wan because he thought the concept of the Jedi was some kind of tasteless parody/representation of samurai culture, something which, if you follow the actor's work, means a lot to him on an emotional level. This of course isn't a national sentiment with Star Wars in Japan---in fact, the Jedi being fictional representations of samurai culture is one of the reasons why the Japanese love Star Wars. Moreover, this was the reason Mifune turned down the role initially---we don't know if his opinions on Star Wars changed after it saw success, because that was never made public. Ultimately, the big issue with casting Mifune regardless of whether or not he approved of Star Wars' samurai-esque iconography was the fact that he couldn't speak English. He tried hard for many of his roles to speak English, but his attempts were always deemed unsatisfactory, and he'd often get dubbed over (something that reportedly disappointed him majorly up until his death). That's something that probably turned off the executives at Fox when Lucas petitioned for Mifune to be Obi-Wan, and might've contributed to their refusal. Even having Mifune play Darth Vader---Lucas' other choice for Mifune---would've been a problem since that would presumably mean Mifune being the voice of Vader, something that exclusively requires English speaking lines, which Mifune was reportedly not good at. This whole deal with actors knowing or not knowing English is something that made or broke films back in the day---Arnold in Conan the Barbarian and Christopher Lambert in Highlander barely knew any English despite the roles they were playing, which led to them being criticized. That's not something film executives want for their films...even now, it's a big barrier to hiring a lot of foreign actors for American films.

As for what Japanese actor should play Obi-Wan in the PT in the hypothetical scenario that Mifune did play Obi-Wan in the OT, my vote would've been Hiroyuki Sanada, especially in his prime during the early 2000's. A lot of his performances in the 2000's like Twilight Samurai and The Last Samurai make him feel like a younger Mifune, really channeling the essence of him. And as his recent work shows, Sanada can speak English very well, so he'd definitely have less trouble being a candidate. He also has a voice that very much lends itself to a stoic Jedi warrior.

Also, fun fact: an actor famous for impersonating Mifune's voice actually provides the dub for Obi-Wan in all of the Japanese Star Wars releases, including the PT and Clone Wars TV Show. If there's ever a Kenobi Standalone, he'll likely come back to dub over Obi-Wan again.

 

This is interesting. I have heard several versions of the Mifune story but ever that he turned it don for those reasons.

So Lucas did reach out to Mifune?

Very good choice indeed. Would he have been too old in the 90s though?

Although wasn't Obi-Wan's age in RotS too young to match how old Guiness was in ANH?

I misread that the first time as Mifune himself being the dub in the PT and TCW. I was very confused because he died before Phantom Menace had been filmed.

 

The way Mifune's daughter describes it, Mifune was "offered the role", but it's not known if it was Lucas himself who contacted him. Likely, it was done through executive managers Lucas was working with at the time.

I think Sanada might've been too old to play Obi-Wan in TPM, but he'd be just the right age to play him in AOTC and ROTS.

The age of Obi-Wan has always been inconsistent with the actor playing him. He's supposed to be 57 in ANH, whereas Guiness is older. The priority seems to be to get the best actor in terms of presence to play him, not the best in terms of age.

That would be amazing, but no.

The actor who voices Obi-Wan is Toshiyuki Morikawa, who's mostly known for video games & anime, most notably Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy games, and for samurai enthusiasts like me, Mitsurugi from the Soulcalibur games, who is quite literally modeled off of the appearence and mannerisims of Mifune in both Seven Samurai and The Samurai Trilogy.

Lots of notable Japanese industry icons voice Star Wars characters. One of my favorite singers, the lovely Maaya Sakamoto, plays the voice of Padme.

 

I didn’t mean Lucas personally spoke to him but approached him in some fashion.

I’ve read or heard various accounts - including claims Mifune was never actually approached.

Yes that is very true.


QUOTE="DailyPlunge, post: 533926, member: 6854"]

That would be amazing, but no.

The actor who voices Obi-Wan is Toshiyuki Morikawa, who's mostly known for video games & anime, most notably Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy games, and for samurai enthusiasts like me, Mitsurugi from the Soulcalibur games, who is quite literally modeled off of the appearence and mannerisims of Mifune in both Seven Samurai and The Samurai Trilogy.

Lots of notable Japanese industry icons voice Star Wars characters. One of my favorite singers, the lovely Maaya Sakamoto, plays the voice of Padme.[/QUOTE]

I wonder if Lucas chose the Mifune impersonator

 

My favorite is ROTS. In TPM Obi is stoic and arrogant (almost like Anakin in EpII), in AOTC he is cynical and snarky, and finally in ROTS he’s tender and yet stalwart. Ewan McGregor truly can act because he is more od protagonist, chsnging from esch episode and evolving into a Jedi to emulate and trust.

 

Just saw this old message and had to say, it looks like I'm getting my wish (although I have a feeling I'm not the only one who wanted this). I'm quite excited to get a mini-series on Obi Wan instead of a film. I just hope they do it right.

 

I have no preference. Obi is the homie tbh.

 

If I were to be a Jedi, I would make Obi-Wan (ROTS) my role model.

 

ROTS

 

Does anyone know if the Kenobi Series has been greenlit?

 

YES!!!
https://time.com/5660512/obi-wan-kenobi-tv-show-disney/

 

I am so glad! Kenobi deserves some limelight. The Skywalkers have had all the sun.

 

AOTC and ROTS. His few scenes in Rebels are cool

 

I loved Kenobi’s duel with Jango Fett in AOTC. It was the single best Jedi vs not a Force user duel yet.

 

I agree. Kenobi in AOTC is badass. His fearless demeanor as Dooku holds him hostage...

I like his duel with Maul in Rebels, but I personally liked his duel with Maul in EU where Owen Lars shoots Maul to seal his fate

 

Obi-Wan is one Bombad Jedi. He is the constant star who guides all Jedi through his example. He and Yoda are what Padawans should seek to emulate.,