Friday, August 16, 2019

EWAN MCGREGOR Might Be OBI-WAN KENOBI AGAIN…But Only on DISNEY+


“Star Wars Story,” an anthology of films in the “Star Wars” saga of Lucasfilm that does not directly focus on the Skywalker family, may have theoretically been sunk with audiences after the poor reception to 2018’s “Solo.” Still, fans of the franchise believe the concept is viable, with the first “Star Wars Story” being 2016’s “Rogue One” being the example. A high favorite for such as spinoff is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, preferably a trilogy if fans could have their way. Actor Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan in the Prequels, has long been clamored by fans to star in such a spinoff. While a pipe dream, recent developments speak otherwise.

Comic Book Resources tells us that apparently Ewan McGregor is currently in discussion with Disney to reprise the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The catch is that it will not be in a movie, but a live-action series. And, to tighten the screws further for the general “Star Wars” fandom, said series will be an exclusive to the House of Mouse’s streaming service, Disney+. No further details have been leaked as to the progress of this discussion, but if successful then the McGregor-starring “Obi-Wan” series will be the third “Star Wars” show to appear on the exclusive Disney digital streaming platform.

It should be recalled that McGregor took on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi from its original portrayer, the late Sir Alec Guinness, from the original trilogy. The 1999-2005 prequels see the younger Obi-Wan progress from Jedi Padawan (“The Phantom Menace”) to Knight with a Padawan Anakin (“Attack of the Clones”) to Master with the Knight Anakin eventually becoming Darth Vader (“Revenge of the Sith”). Unlike the more reserved Guinness, McGregor has been receptive to the idea of reprising the role of the veteran Jedi, once saying “If they need me to be Obi-Wan Kenobi again, I’d be delighted to do so, yeah" back in 2012, shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm.

While the concept of an Obi-Wan Kenobi “Star Wars spinoff” becoming a Disney+ series rather than a theatrically-released movie seems a step down from the “Star Wars Story” format, the fact that it will be a streaming content for the upcoming platform seems sound business sense in order to make the service an attractive option for stream binge-watchers. Not only “Star Wars” but Marvel productions have been slated for Disney+, and it has yet to launch until perhaps late this year or even next year.

Other live-action “Star Wars” series already in production for Disney+ include “The Mandalorian” starring Pedro Pascal and “Cassian Andor” with Diego Luna reprising his one-film wonder role from “Rogue One.”

Image courtesy of Indie Wire

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