Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Gets New Writer

The planned Obi-Wan Kenobi series was initially set to head into production this summer, only to earn delays reportedly due to issues with the scripts, while Variety has revealed that writer Joby Harold has been tapped to replace writer Hossein Amini on the project. Harold previously executive produced John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and wrote Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. Ewan McGregor, who played Kenobi in the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, is set to reprise his role as the Jedi Master, who has previously praised the series' scripts, leaving us to wonder whether Harold will be heavily tweaking the core concept of the storyline or will be starting from scratch on the project. Deborah Chow is still attached as the director.

Ever since the prequel trilogy concluded back in 2005 with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, fans had hoped to see McGregor return to the series to reprise the role. The actor himself has regularly expressed his excitement over the opportunity, with his appearance at the Solo: A Star Wars Story red-carpet premiere likely hinting that an announcement of such a project was imminent. When that film underperformed financially, all spinoff films were put on hold, leaving fans to wonder what the future could hold for the character.

At last year's D23 Expo, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy took to the stage to confirm that McGregor was returning to the franchise for a series on Disney+, with McGregor revealing in subsequent interviews how he had to keep these talks a secret for years.

Despite the excitement around the project, it's clear that there have been some issues with fine-tuning the story, as reports emerged earlier this year about the delayed production start, which coincided with rumors that the scripts weren't up to par for the studio.

"We start shooting at the very beginning of next year, they're in pre-production from this summer, there are scripts that I've read that are really good, they're continuing to write on them to make them even better, and we start very early next year," McGregor revealed on Good Morning America earlier this year. "And I'm excited about it. I think the last one I shot was in 2003, so it's been a while. It'll just be there, I think. Also, I'm reminding myself by watching their new films and The Mandalorian and stuff, I really enjoyed. I keep myself as current as I can with the Lucasfilm world. I don't think it will take two minutes; I'll put the cloak back on and I'll be there, I think."

Stay tuned for details on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!