Rumor: Ewan McGregor to Return in 'Star Wars Episode IX'

Reports about an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off film have been wildly speculative, though a new rumor claims that Ewan McGregor will reprise his role as the Jedi Master for a brief appearance in Star Wars: Episode IX. This would mark his first portrayal of the character since 2005's Revenge of the Sith.

"Ewan will secretly film for the next Star Wars movie," an unnamed source shared with The Sun.

The actor has regularly expressed his interested in reprising the role, which makes the concept seem somewhat feasible.

"I'd be happy to play him again," McGregor confirmed earlier this year. "I don't know any more about it more than you do. I saw the new one over Christmas. I thought it was really, really beautiful. I loved it."

On a more conceptual level, it seems unlikely that Obi-Wan would naturally fit into this new trilogy.

Chronologically, Obi-Wan's last appearance in a film was Return of the Jedi as a Force ghost alongside Anakin Skywalker and Yoda. In The Last Jedi, Luke was confronted by the Force ghost of Yoda, though some audiences argued an appearance by Kenobi in that scene would have been more effective.

With Luke Skywalker having died in The Last Jedi, it's difficult to theorize an organic way to bring McGregor back at the character, unless the final film were to depict Luke's Force ghost, possibly alongside his former mentor.

Last month, reports emerged that Lucasfilm was developing a film centered around Obi-Wan Kenobi, though no filmmakers or talent were associated with the project. The same report noted that Logan writer/director James Mangold was developing a Boba Fett movie, which implied that project was further along in its development.

Last week, however, reports surfaced that all unconfirmed spin-off films were being put on an indefinite hiatus due to the underwhelming response from fans and critics to Solo: A Star Wars Story. Having previously announced a trilogy of films from Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson and films from Game of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the report implied that the studio wanted to focus on these films over the rumored projects.

Days later, another source at Lucasfilm aimed to refute those claims by sharing that multiple unannounced projects were still moving forward as intended.

Obi-Wan's live-action future might be unclear, with his first possible return to the saga being Episode IX, which hits theaters on December 20, 2019. McGregor will be filming Doctor Sleep, the sequel to Stephen King's The Shining, later this year.

Do you think Obi-Wan could make a cameo in the final chapter of the trilogy? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T The Sun]