Obi-Wan Kenobi: McGregor and Christensen Thrilled to Return; Kathleen Kennedy Hints Another Season Is Possible

Obi-Wan Kenobi marketing has gone from nothing to everything in the span of a day. In addition to the teaser trailer released recently, Entertainment Weekly revealed a whole set of exclusive images from the upcoming show, and has now released a very extensive, behind-the-scenes look at the show. The new feature includes interviews with the three main actors -- Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Hayden Christensen (Darth Vader), and Moses Ingram (the Inquisitor Reva), as well as director of the series Deborah Chow, writer Joby Harold, and executive producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. A video chat with Ewan McGregor was also released by the magazine's YouTube channel, check it out here.



One of the sweeter aspects of the making of Obi-Wan Kenobi was the long-awaited reunion between Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, two long-time friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Christensen recalled their first encounter back in 2000 as follows:

In the video interview linked above, McGregor said the following about the reunion:

As he's mentioned a few times before, Ewan McGregor was at first a bit apprehensive about joining a big-budget franchise like Star Wars back when in the 90s, as he was trying to establish his career after films like Trainspotting. He said:

But when the time came to shoot Attack of the Clones, and Hayden came along, things had changed. McGregor said:

However, the reaction to the prequels was not exactly what he had expected. McGregor, looking back, said:

Christensen added the following:

In the show, McGregor is well aware that Vader will take all the spotlight of the show, since he experienced that same feeling during one of the first days on set:

Series director Deborah Chow was also speechless the first time she saw him in the suit:

Hayden Christensen then added:

The character was already one of the highlights of the prequel film Rogue One, even though he was in no more than three or four scenes. However, Lucasfilm did not reach out to Hayden to reprise the role for that film, as the actor said:

As Star Wars fans may recall, Ewan McGregor was asked twice every day since Disney bought Lucasfilm about a possible return to the character. Initially, the actor was a bit coy about it, but he started warming up to the idea, saying stuff like 'if Lucasfilm wanted to do it, I'd love to be a part of it'. And Lucasfilm eventually got the news, and they arranged a meeting with the actor, as he said:

Shortly after, Lucasfilm began developing a movie focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi that would have been directed by Stephen Daldry. However, it all fell apart when, in 2018, Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed at the box office, and all future films outside the Skywalker Saga were put on carbonite. As Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy tells EW, that did not stop the studio from actively pursuing a project lead by Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master:

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series was first reported by Star Wars News Net in February 2019, and was officially announced during the D23 convention in August of that year. Ewan McGregor walked out on stage, and when Kennedy asked him 'Ewan, are you going to play Obi-Wan Kenobi again?', he simply said, while looking at the audience: 'Yes'. Kennedy confirmed a month later that The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow would be helming a six-episode series that would go into production in summer 2020.







That of course didn't happen. As most Star Wars fans that are well in-tuned with the news know, the show underwent a major rewrite in 2020. Lucasfilm hired Joby Harold, who is now the only credited writer, to take over from Hossein Amini, and the show took a turn. In fact, as Deborah Chow explained, there is not much of the original series in the final scripts:

Kennedy explained the shifts as follows:

Harold added this:

The story both he and Chow came up with takes place 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, as Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in late 2020. The character, according to McGregor finds himself in a very dark and pessimistic place:

Harold added:

The original story of the show did not include Darth Vader. When Harold came on board, there were serious discussions inside Lucasfilm's headquarters about letting the fallen Jedi ignite his lightsaber again. Kennedy said:

Deborah Chow was the one that brought Hayden out of Vader's castle, as the actor recalled:

Harold then capitalized on the importance of having Hayden be part of the show:

However, no one would confirm to EW whether or not James Earl Jones will be back to voice the character. The actor, 91, already returned to the franchise in Rogue One and Star Wars: Rebels, as well as a quick cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.







As Joby Harold explains, the story of the show is focused on much more than the reunion between master and apprentice. We are also going to see a ruthless Galactic Empire trying to establish itself as the absolute ruler of the galaxy. He said:

Vader has instructed the Grand Inquisitor and his crew to exterminate all Jedi from the galaxy. It is the Great Purge. The show will incorporate the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother, from Star Wars: Rebels, as well as a new character, Reva, who is referred to as the Third Sister. She is played by Moses Ingram. Harold said that this character will 'contribute to the legacy of Star Wars villains in a really interesting way.'



Ingram added the following about her character:

The actress had nothing but nice words to say about Ewan McGregor, until the moment in which she initiated the second biggest rematch of the century between Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen (this time off-screen) when she said the following:

This led to the following friendly fight, which is just delightful to read:

If this is just a taste of what the show will bring, we are in for a treat.







The creative team would not confirm to EW what roles will be playing O'Shea Jackson Jr., Kumail Nanjiani, or Maya Erskine. However, Kathleen Kennedy clearly wanted to make a distinction between the timelines of the Disney Plus shows when asked whether or not characters like Ahsoka Tano or a young Boba Fett could appear:

Deborah Chow then added:

The director is also very excited about another reunion between actors, in particular, between Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse:

Obi-Wan Kenobi was initially pitched as a limited series with a six-episode run. However, there is plenty of time and lots of possible adventures to be had between the events of this season and A New Hope. Deborah Chow was quick to shut down any speculation over this:

However, the studio head did not want to close all doors, and with the following answer, Kennedy gave fans some hope for a possible second season:

Obi-Wan Kenobi will debut on Disney Plus on May 25th, 45 years after the release of A New Hope. In addition to all of the cast and crew members mentioned above, the series will also see the return of John Williams, who has composed the main theme of the show.



Click HERE to check out and comment on this topic on our main site