Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Casting Confirms Return of Fan-Favorite Characters

With production set to begin next month on Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, many fans were excited to learn that Hayden Christensen is set to return as Darth Vader in the new series, though the casting reveal also confirmed that Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse will reprise their roles from the prequel films as Owen Lars and Beru Lars, respectively. With the new series taking place after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and before Star Wars: A New Hope, we can likely expect to see Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan keeping an eye on the young Luke, surely requiring some glimpses of Owen and Beru, though it's unknown how substantial their roles will be in the new series.

The announced cast consists of Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie. The series will be directed by Deborah Chow, who directed two episodes of The Mandalorian's debut season.

Given what we know about Owen and Beru, including their demise at the hands of the Galactic Empire in A New Hope, we shouldn't expect them to play too integral a role in the adventure, especially since any sort of interactions between Obi-Wan and the pair could pose a threat to the young Luke. Additionally, with how little is known about the plot of the new series, it's unknown if it will all be unfolding within the announced timeline, or if fans can expect jumps backwards in time to Obi-Wan's earlier exploits.

Of the various cast confirmations, Christensen is arguably the name that fans are most excited about, as the actor hasn't appeared in the series since Revenge of the Sith. At the time of the release of the prequels, fan reactions were relatively mixed to the films, as younger audiences connected more strongly with the adventures while fans who grew up with the original trilogy had a harder time connecting with the material. Specifically, the reaction to Christensen's performances as a tortured Anakin didn't resonate with all audiences, leading to an almost-fallout between the actor and fans.

Luckily, recent years have seen more vocal supporters of Christensen, which in turn has seen the actor return to Star Wars events. While some fans were holding out hope that his public appearances signalled a return with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, those fans will surely appreciate his return later as opposed to never.

Stay tuned for details on Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Are you excited to see Owen and Beru return? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!