Star Wars Secrecy Forced Ewan McGregor to Lie About Obi-Wan Kenobi Return for Years

What Ewan McGregor told you about his return to Star Wars was true... from a certain point of view. Set in-between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi follows exiled Jedi Master Obi-Wan (McGregor) to Tatooine as he protects a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) from Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and the Empire. As far back as 2017, after McGregor said he would be open to playing the character again, Lucasfilm began to develop Obi-Wan as a standalone Star Wars Story spinoff movie.

Redeveloped as a limited series, streaming May 27 on Disney+, Obi-Wan Kenobi ends years of secrecy for McGregor. 

"I appreciate what Disney and Lucasfilm are trying to do, and what we're trying to do is protect the experience for the fans. The first time they see it, we want them to have the best experience they can," McGregor said on Good Morning America. "And so they want to keep everything a secret, and the longer they can keep something until you announce it, the better, I guess, for them."

But for McGregor, who last physically portrayed the character in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, "It's a long time people asking, 'Would you play Obi-Wan Kenobi again?'"

"I had to go, 'Well, you know, if Disney wanted to do something, I'd be happy to do it!' And it was years of that," McGregor laughed, "trying not to lie, but not really tell the truth." 

Recalling his journey back to Obi-Wan, McGregor told GMA, "Disney came to me years ago and asked — because I was asked in interviews if I would play Obi-Wan Kenobi again — and I always said, 'Yes, I would like to. I think there must be a good story between the last one I did, Revenge of the Sith, and A New Hope with Alec Guinness.'"

After answering questions about his Star Wars return "all the time," he continued, "They asked me to come in and they said, 'Do you mean it? Would you be happy to play him again?' And I said, 'Yeah!'"  

Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, the first two episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming May 27 on Disney+.