Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Costume Designer Talks Reimagining Darth Vader

Obi-Wan Kenobi hit Disney+ last year, and it saw Ewan McGregor returning to the titular role and Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader for the first time since Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith was released in 2005. This year, the series earned some Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The show also scored a nod for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes with Suttirat Anne Larlarb (Costume Designer), Stacia Lang (Assistant Costume Designer), and Lynda Foote (Costume Supervisor) all being nominated for the show’s first episode. Larlarb recently had a chat with Variety and spoke about the show’s costumes, including the reimagining of Darth Vader. Explaining that “you can’t mess with Darth Vader,” Larlarb talked about bringing the character’s iconic look to the small screen.

“The extreme physical demands of the showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader is what governed our need to re-think how to make Darth Vader for our show,” Larlarb shared. “We have other processes that allow for our Darth Vader, a younger one in the Star Wars timeline, to be more mobile and physical, helmet-to-toe. The armor he wears needed to move with his body in a way that allowed the fights to happen fluidly – and not prevent him from doing anything that was dreamed up.”

When Are The 2023 Emmys?

It was recently announced that the upcoming Emmys have been delayed to 2024 due to the SAG and WGA strikes. The Primetime Emmys will now air on Monday, January 15, 2024 (8:00-11:00 PM EST/5:00-8:00 PM PST) on FOX. Additionally, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards will take place at the Peacock Theater at LA Live over two consecutive nights on Saturday, January 6, and Sunday, January 7, 2024. An edited presentation will be aired Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 8:00 PM EST/PST on FXX.

“As the Emmy Awards celebrates its 75th Anniversary, the show will broadcast live on FOX coast-to-coast from the Peacock Theater at LA Live and will honor the talented performers, writers, directors and craftspeople whose work has entertained, inspired and connected viewers across the globe throughout the past year,” FOX’s announcement explains. 

Will Ewan McGregor Play Obi-Wan Kenobi Again?

Despite Obi-Wan Kenobi being billed as a one-season limited series, McGregor is hopeful he might return to the character. “I was so happy to do it again, and so happy to work with Hayden again,” McGregor said during a virtual conversation on the Disney Studios Awards website. “I hope we get the chance to do it again.”

“In the old days, I would joke about, ‘There must be a good story to tell between Episode III and VI.’ But, it’s true. I always felt that there was,” McGregor explained. “I feel like [series director] Deborah Chow found it and absolutely nailed it … just found the story that we wanted to see between the last one that we did and first that was done in [1977].”

Stay tuned for more updates about Star Wars.