Ewan McGregor Confirms That Disney+'s OBI-WAN KENOBI Series Was A Movie Before Becoming A TV Show

In a new interview, Birds of Prey star Ewan McGregor has confirmed that the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series was indeed once going to be another big screen Star Wars Story. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Oct 28, 2019 01:10 PM EST

Filed Under: Star Wars

The Obi-Wan Kenobi movie was originally set to start shooting this year with Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry attached to helm the big screen Star Wars spinoff. Well, plans changed after Solo flopped and the Jedi Master's story will now be told in a six-episode Disney+ TV series in the not too distant future.

While an Obi-Wan movie was always very much a rumour, the actor has now confirmed that the original plan was indeed for it to arrive in theaters rather than on Disney's new streaming service.

"It wasn’t always going to be a series, not initially," McGregor revealed. "When we first started talking about, that wasn’t really in the cards but everything’s changed so much, so quickly. It’s really exciting that it is now. I’m really into the idea to be able to tell the story over several hours instead of just one hit. I think it’s going to be quite cool."

The actor went on to say that he's been in talks with Lucasfilm about reprising the role since 2015 and it's good to know that Disney has acknowledged the desire from fans to see Kenobi's story continue.

It remains to see what direction the show will head in, especially as we've already seen the conclusion of his feud with Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels (a battle which definitely deserved a live-action setting). Joel Edgerton has already indicated that he'll be back as Lars Owen so expect it to still fill in some key gaps in the character's history on Tatooine.

Are you guys excited?

Hit the "View List" button to take a look at every rumoured
and confirmed Star Wars TV show and movie on the way!

The Mandalorian (November 12th)

The first trailer for The Mandalorian was released during D23, and it's fair to say that it didn't disappoint. It looks every bit as good as the Star Wars movies in terms of visuals and the tone and approach to this story (set after the events of Return of the Jedi) is vastly different to what we've seen before in this Galaxy Far, Far Away. Honestly, that's no bad thing.

The Mandalorian is going to be available on the Disney+ streaming service on November 12th, and the plan is for one episode to be released each week (so, you can forget about binging them).

In terms of plot details, all we really know is that the show is going to follow a bounty hunter who isn't Boba Fett. However, the show promises to fill in some big gaps in this universe's history.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (December 20th)

There's no way you're missing this one, right?

Last Monday, the D23 preview was officially released online and it's left Star Wars fans everywhere talking. That shot of Rey wielding a double-bladed Sith lightsaber may be misdirection, but that makes it no less awesome. We've been left with a lot to talk about, and it's clear that the Skywalker Saga finale is going to surprise us in a lot of different ways.

With any luck, director J.J. Abrams will succeed in making fans happy while also ending this story in a way that feels right. That's not an easy task, but it is one you have to believe he's capable of.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (February 2020)

Netflix resurrected Star Wars: The Clone Wars a few years back, but, much to the delight of fans everywhere, we later learned that it would return (again) on the Disney+ streaming service.

This time, though, this really is the end for the series, but at least that means it will get the finale it deserves. According to Dave Filoni, we're finally going to see the return of Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano in a conflict he's dubbed "the Siege of Mandalore."

Just like Young Justice attracted fans to DC Universe, this will get Star Wars fans even more excited to subscribe to Disney+ and see more of their favourite animated characters.

Untitled 'Cassian Andor' Disney+ Series

This show still doesn't have a title, but it was confirmed at D23 that shooting is set to begin next year.

That means casting news should start coming our way soon and it's obviously already been confirmed that Diego Luna will return as Cassian Andor, while Alan Tudyk will voice K-2SO again. Set before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it sounds like this will serve as an origin story for Cassian, while also shedding some light on the early adventures of the Rebellion.

With any luck, that will mean we get to see some of those Star Wars Rebels characters in live-action!

Untitled 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Disney+ Series

One of the biggest announcements to come out of D23 is that Obi-Wan Kenobi is getting his own Disney+ series. Shooting for this is also expected to take place next year as the scripts have been written and Ewan McGregor has finally been able to confirm that, yes, he is indeed reprising the role.

Based on where this was placed on a timeline shared by Lucasfilm at the event, it will take place shortly after the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story, so don't be surprised if the Jedi Knight crosses paths with his old enemy Darth Maul. The show would, however, need to be careful not to contradict the events of Star Wars Rebels if that's the case.

Either way, we're sure this will be more exciting than Kenobi just wandering around the desert!

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' Star Wars Trilogy

The Game of Thrones finale was not well recieved, but showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss remain a hot commodity in Hollywood and it's no great surprise that Disney is keen on them spearheading an entire trilogy of Star Wars movies. Rumour has it that they'll be heading to The Old Republic era which would mean that this series of films would be set 4000 years before A New Hope!

This trilogy would be unrelated to Rian Johnson's, but recent reports have pointed to the duo possibly only providing an outline for the trilogy and penning just one of the three screenplays.

That's a result of them signing a $250 million deal with Netflix and given the rivalry between them and Disney these days, don't be shocked if Lucasfilm ultimately takes a pass on this trilogy or decides to hand the idea over to a different set of filmmakers. Either way, it's not looking great right now.

Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy

Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi received its fair share of backlash from fans, but it was also a critical and commercial hit so are you really shocked that Lucasfilm intend to work with him again?

We have absolutely no idea what direction he intends to take things in, but it doesn't sound like this series of films will have anything to do with the Skywalker Saga. Johnson is writing the screenplays and should start working on the movies soon, so don't be surprised if the first chapter is the first Star Wars movie to arrive in theaters after The Rise of Skywalker.

Given how polarising his work on the main saga was, it will certainly be interesting to see what happens!

A New Star Wars Animated Series

Star Wars Rebels was a hit with fans as it expanded the mythology and filled in a lot of gaps between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Star Wars: Resistance, however, is ending after two seasons and has been mostly rejected by viewers, so it's clear that Disney and Lucasfilm need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to how best to handle this universe in an animated setting.

Well, there have been rumours for a while now that a new animated series of some sort might in the works and that Dave Filoni will once again be involved. Rebels definitely ended in a way which allows for a sequel of some sort, while there are plenty of other eras a new TV show could take place in that would appeal to viewers (including after the Skywalker Saga now that is wrapping up).

Star Wars Detours

You probably forgot all about this, but back in 2012 (and before Disney purchased Lucasfilm for a whopping $4 billion), we learned that an animated series called Star Wars Detours was in the works.

Set to deliver a comedic take on the Star Wars Universe, Robot Chicken's Seth Green and Matthew Senreich were set to take charge of the series and 39 episodes were produced with 62 finished scripts.

Lucasfilm filed a trademark for "Detours" back in June, so there's a chance that this will be resurrected for the Disney+ streaming service or something similar. We'll have to wait and see for now.

Solo: A Star Wars Story II

Solo: A Star Wars Story may have underperformed at the box office, but the movie still has its fair share of fans and there's been a lot of campaigning for a sequel online which has grabbed the attention of some noteworthy names (including replacement director Ron Howard).

Rumour has it that Disney has taken notice, and while they're reluctant to return to these spinoff movies right now, relatively reliable sources have indicated that Alden Ehrenreich's Han Solo could return in some way, shape, or form. With Disney+ set to serve as a home for a number of obscure projects, this particular rumour definitely feels like it's worth a mention.

However, it's probably best not to get too excited until we hear something a little more concrete.

Continue reading below for a recap of reveals in the
latest trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!

Friends Reunited

Rian Johnson split the heroes up in The Last Jedi (Rey and Poe Dameron didn't even meet until pretty much the final scene), but J.J. Abrams is bringing them back together for this adventure.

That's something fans will definitely appreciate, but there is a noteworthy omission here: R2-D2!

Now, it could just be that he and BB-8 are hidden in the background somewhere, but we've seen very little of him in The Rise of Skywalker up until now and there could be a reason for that.

The Resistance Fleet

The Resistance was left reeling after The First Order's attack in The Last Jedi, but it appears as if they've managed to regroup...with some classic ships!

As you can see, we have A-Wings, B-Wings, X-Wings, and Y-Wings, and even what appear to be some CR-90 Corvettes, the same class of ship as the Tantive IV which opened A New Hope. Interestingly, there's even a YT Freighter that isn't the Millennium Falcon, so it appears as if our heroes have been searching high and low in order to create a formidable fleet.

The Empire's Backup Plan?

These are Imperial Star Destroyers from the original Star Wars trilogy, and recent novels and video games have revealed that The Emperor had some sort of contingency plan that would be acted on upon his death. The question is, why have these ships been kept hidden and who's inside them?

Some fans have noticed that there are red decals on the Star Destroyers, so perhaps these are Palpatine's Sith Troopers? They may have been waiting for the right moment to strike and while we don't know what that is, it's possible that The First Order may just be an offshoot of the real Empire...

C-3PO Turns To The Dark Side

Or not. C-3PO may appear to have turned evil here, but there's probably a very good explanation for this. In leaked promo art, we've seen the beloved droid wielding Chewbacca's Bowcaster, a sign that he's going to be a little more proactive in The Rise of Skywalker.

If you've read the Darth Vader comic book series, you'll know that the assassin protocol droid Triple Zero has red eyes, so this is probably akin to an "instant kill" mode that will allow Threepio to bypass his programming and start taking out some Stormtroopers!

A Powerful New Weapon

The Starkiller Base may have been destroyed in The Force Awakens, but it seems as if The First Order (or The Emperor) has been hard at work constructing a new super weapon.

This looks a lot like the sort of blast you might expect to come from the Death Star, but don't be surprised if these powerful looking, possibly Kyber-based blasts are actually emanating from one of those Star Destroyers. If that's the case, the Resistance will find themselves outgunned in a big way.

Rey's Training

Rey appears to be training in the same jungle environment where Leia could be seen earlier in the trailer, and she's using a training remote similar to the one we saw on the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens which Luke used way back in A New Hope.

She's clearly rebuilt the lightsaber which was destroyed in The Last Jedi, and this is probably just an establishing sequence of some sort.

The Emperor's Narration

Yes, that is indeed The Emperor's voice you hear in this trailer, and he says, "Your journey...nears its end."

The question is, whose journey is he referring to? That's clearly newly recorded dialogue, and while it might have been used solely for this trailer, it's interesting to wonder how those comments might factor into the plot. Is he talking to Kylo Ren or Rey? We'll just have to wait and see...

An Epic Lightsaber Duel

Chances are that this is a piece of the Death Star that Kylo Ren and Rey are battling on, as we saw in the first trailer that the remains of the space station had crashed into the ocean on this mysterious alien planet. This looks like an incredible battle and is a nice contrast to the fiery final fight in Revenge of the Sith.

There are a lot of conflicting theories about how the relationship between these two will play out in The Rise of Skywalker, but this most definitely doesn't look like Ren is training his "apprentice."

Rey Turns To The Dark Side?

The obvious explanation to this moment in the trailer is that this is just a Force Vision, or possibly even just a glimpse at what might have been had Rey made the decision to join Kylo Ren.

But isn't that just a tad too obvious? After all, fans are going to be annoyed if it's blatant misdirection, and it's entirely possible that Rey is turned (albeit briefly) or that she pretends to be in order to take down The Emperor. Interestingly, lightsabers like this were used by the Jedi Temple Guards in The Clone Wars, and her blades are as unstable as Kylo's.

Darth Vader's breathing can also be heard at this point, so make of that what you will...

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59 Comments

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MasterMix - 10/28/2019, 2:02 PM

He deserves a movie, but I'll accept this compromise.

WakandanQueen - 10/28/2019, 2:03 PM

I'd rather have a big budget Disney+ 6-hour-plus TV show than "Obi Wan: A Star Wars Story" tbh.

blitzkreg - 10/28/2019, 2:46 PM

@WakandanQueen - Very true. You can tell better stories and delve deeper into the characters motivations. This is why Trek have always worked better on the small screen than the big.

Vegetaray123 - 10/28/2019, 5:53 PM

@WakandanQueen - 100% agree!

Doomsday8888 - 10/28/2019, 2:04 PM

I ain't even mad lol!

TheUnworthyThor - 10/28/2019, 2:09 PM

Yeah, we were getting Obi-wan, Boba Fett, and Mos Eisley movies before they were cancelled after Solo leaving us with this big gap. I would have preferred a movie but with as big of budgets as these Disney+ shows seem to have this is almost as good. Will be great to see more Obi-wan in live action.

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 10/28/2019, 2:09 PM

I wonder if I'll ever get excited for Star Wars again.

Nebula - 10/28/2019, 2:16 PM

Either way's good, I'm just glad it's happening.

Nebula - 10/28/2019, 2:31 PM

Get Filoni in on it for god's sake.

Philvis - 10/28/2019, 5:28 PM

@Nebula - this x1000! He's the ONLY person I trust with Star Wars.

hsanjose - 10/28/2019, 2:20 PM

What about Darth Maul and Qi'ra? Isn't a Obi Wan Kenobi's story without Maul, Qui Gon Jinn, Luke, uncle Owen and Aunt Beru!!

WackyBantha - 10/28/2019, 2:21 PM

Sometime during this series, Lars Owen will legally change his name back to Owen Lars.

Nebula - 10/28/2019, 2:24 PM

Reeds2Much - 10/28/2019, 2:42 PM

Feralwookiee - 10/28/2019, 3:24 PM

@Reeds2Much - Wow dude. That made my day! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

blitzkreg - 10/28/2019, 2:43 PM

Solo bombing and TLJ turning off many fans is why Obi wan will be on the small screen. But I will definately watch obi because Ewan was great in the role.

Kyos - 10/28/2019, 2:45 PM

A show about the best character of the prequel trilogy? Obviously set in a time period where they can't mention any of the sequel stuff?

So far the best thing modern Star Wars has to offer me since the TLJ collapse - an Obi-Wan inbetween-quel. Horray.

TakesTwoToTorgo - 10/28/2019, 5:08 PM

@Kyos - I don’t think I’ve ever had a more massive dive in franchise interest than I did with Star Wars in 2016 to Star Wars in 2017. I went from absolutely loving rogue 1 to essentially having to rewire my brain to keep Star Wars at an arms length from henceforth and it hurt.

Kyos - 10/29/2019, 3:37 AM

@TakesTwoToTorgo - I was already vaguely estranged before the Disney run, but TFA (despite its actually significant shortcomings) brought back enough of a Star Wars feeling to more or less fully get me back in. Then TLJ really brought it all crashing down in a pretty much unprecedented way.

bkmeijer2 - 10/28/2019, 3:02 PM

I'm really hoping they're also picking up the story of Solo in a spin-off series. Or maybe fit it into the Cassian Andor series, because that one doesn't sound interesting at all at the moment

BIGBMH - 10/28/2019, 3:11 PM

"especially as we've already seen the conclusion of his feud with Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels (a battle which definitely deserved a live-action setting)."

I disagree with this sentiment. Animation is where Maul transitioned from a cool-looking lackey who could fight into one of Star Wars greatest villains. Clone Wars made the Obi-wan/Maul feud into what it deserved to be. I think it's appropriate that they rewarded the fans willing to follow that great story by putting its finale in the under-appreciated medium in which the bulk of the story occurred. I appreciate that Lucasfilm respects the medium of animation enough that they're willing to put a monumental moment like that in one of their animated series.

OmegaDaGrodd - 10/28/2019, 3:33 PM

Solo's Biggest problem was that it was a character no one wanted a non-Ford movie about, so it was super foolish of LF to see it's failure as an indication an Obi Wan movie wouldn't work

That said, this could be awesome, especially if they don't condone it to Tatooine

Bucht - 10/29/2019, 12:45 AM

@OmegaDaGrodd - I'm so tired of Tatooine, it's supposed to be this middle of nowhere sh*thole, yet every movie/show/game/book needs to go there for some reason.

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