Star Wars: Ewan McGregor Teases Obi-Wan’s Arc in Disney+ Series Is “Quite Interesting”

Star Wars prequel trilogy star Ewan McGregor says Obi-Wan Kenobi has an arc that is “quite interesting” in the live-action Disney+ series set sometime between Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. As one of the last-surviving members of the Jedi following a purge enforced by an army of clone troopers and friend-turned-foe Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), newly christened Darth Vader by the insidious Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), McGregor hints the still-untitled series will examine Obi-Wan’s grief following the destruction of the Jedi Order in Revenge of the Sith.

“The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV,” McGregor told Men’s Health. In the time since we last saw McGregor’s Obi-Wan, “the Jedi Order was falling apart. It will be interesting to take a character we know in a way and show him — Well, his arc will be quite interesting, I think, dealing with that the fact that all the Jedi were slaughtered with the end of Episode III. It’s quite something to get over.”

While McGregor is still sworn to secrecy despite the series’ official announcement by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy during Disney’s D23 Expo in August — “I’m not allowed to tell you anything about it,” he said — McGregor did reveal his series will be comprised of six hour-long episodes.

The series also gives the actor the opportunity to step back into the role originated by Alec Guinness in George Lucas’ original Star Wars in 1977, with McGregor now closer in age to Guinness’ Obi-Wan.

“The most satisfying thing about those films, other than some of the fight sequences — which were amazing to do — was the study of Alec Guinness and trying to be believably him as a younger man. As an acting challenge, that was the most satisfying thing about those movies,” McGregor said of Lucas’ prequel trilogy when promoting Doctor Sleep on Conan. “And so now, that’s the same, except I’m just closer to the age he was when he played that film. So it’ll be interesting to play him now. And also, it being post — plot wise, [after] the three films that I made already — it’s after that, obviously. So there’s a bit of story, plot there.”

This yet-to-be dated Obi-Wan series joins Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and the Diego Luna-led Rogue One spinoff series as the next Star Wars series planned for Disney+. The first episode of The Mandalorian launches alongside Disney+ on Nov. 12.