The rumors turn out to be true. After years of anonymously sourced and uncorroborated murmurings that Ewan McGregor would once again don his Jedi robes to reinhabit what is arguably his most iconic role — Obi-Wan Kenobi — Lucasfilm used its presentation during Disney’s D23 convention in Anaheim Friday to confirm that McGregor will indeed be swinging his lightsaber once again. Except unlike his last three outings as Darth Vader’s mentor turned nemesis, a role he inherited from Alec Guinness in three Star Wars prequels, the Scottish actor will be wielding the Force in an as-yet-untitled show for Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+, which is set to launch November 12.
By way of introduction, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy acknowledged the rumor-mongering that had been rumbling across the internet in recent days: “After secrets and fibs and not being able to talk about it, I am thrilled to bring out a beloved member of the Star Wars family.â€
With that, huge monitors flashed photos of McGregor in Obi-Wan guise. And the actor emerged onstage to a hero’s welcome from the 6,000 super fans crammed into Disney’s Hall D23. “It feels so nice,†a beaming McGregor said. “It’s been four years of saying, ‘I don’t know … It would be nice — if they’d call me.’â€
The series will arrive as Lucasfilm’s third Star Wars series airing on Disney+, joining writer-director Jon Favreau’s eagerly awaited The Mandalorian (which begins streaming November 12) and an untitled prequel plotted around Diego Luna’s Rogue One character Cassian Andor. According to Kennedy, preproduction on the Obi-Wan series is relatively far along. “We are really close,†she said. “We have all the scripts written. We are ready to start shooting next year.â€