The Internet has been buzzing for over a week about Ewan McGregor returning to the Star Wars franchise as Obi-Wan Kenobi — and now it looks like it’s officially set in stone. During this weekend’s D-23 Expo, Disney confirmed that an Obi-Wan Kenobi series will be coming to the Disney+ streaming service.
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This comes after years of rumors and speculation have hinted at Lucasfilm further exploring Obi-Wan’s story in some form or fashion. An Obi-Wan movie was believed to be put into development in May of 2018, with Stephen Daldry being brought on to potentially direct. Months later, McGregor himself squashed that reporting, hinting that there were “no plans” for it to happen at that time.
“I would totally do it, of course,” the actor shared in a television appearance in August of 2018. “There’s no plans as such to do it, as far as I know… There must be a good story to tell as they’re doing spin-offs โ there’s likely to be a good Obi-Wan between me and Alec Guinness.”
As more details have come to light about the upcoming Disney+ streaming service, some began to wonder if an Obi-Wan movie could arrive on that platform. Earlier this year, Disney chairman Bob Iger was the one to reassure that that wouldn’t be happening, as the studio wouldn’t want a Star Wars movie to entirely be on that platform.
“Almost every movie the studio makes is a $100 million-plus movie, and we’re not looking to make movies at that level for the service,” Iger said this past January. “We’re looking to invest significantly in television series on a per-episode business, and we’re looking to make movies that are higher-budget, but nothing like that.”
“We wouldn’t make a Star Wars movie for this platform,” Iger continued. “When everybody goes out on the weekend and you have a movie that opens up to $200 million, there’s a buzz that creates that enhances value. We like that. And eventually the movies we’re making are going to [end up on] the service.”
Still, the possibility of Obi-Wan’s story coming to Disney+ has continued to be discussed, this time as some sort of limited television series. How the project will evolve from there currently remains to be seen.
Are you excited to see Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Star Wars story continue? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!