“Kathleen, might you ask me in entrance of all of those folks, all of those witnesses, are you able to please ask me: Am I going to play Obi-Wan Kenobi once more?”
That is what Ewan McGregor mentioned to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy when she launched him at Disney’s D23 fan expo final summer season to verify {that a} new collection that includes his Star Wars character can be developed for the corporate’s upcoming streaming service.
“Ewan?” she requested. “Are you going to play Obi-Wan Kenobi once more?”
“Sure!” McGregor answered breathlessly. “Feels so good! It’s been 4 years of claiming, ‘Properly I don’t know … we’ve been speaking …perhaps in the event that they known as me, I’d be completely happy.’ However now I can say— sure, we’re gonna do it.”
As of at present, that reply remains to be sure — Disney+ continues to develop the present concerning the exiled Jedi in center age, set in some unspecified time in the future earlier than he and Luke Skywalker enterprise off with Han and Chewie to avoid wasting Princess Leia in 1977’s authentic Star Wars. Nonetheless, a number of sources near the manufacturing verify that capturing of the collection has been positioned on maintain whereas the the scripts get an overhaul.
A launch date for the present was by no means introduced so it is unclear how this manufacturing change will have an effect on that. McGregor stays dedicated, a supply advised Self-importance Honest, and so is collection showrunner Deborah Chow, who directed two acclaimed installments of The Mandalorian.
Rumors started to flow into final week that the present was full-on canceled when phrase unfold from crew staff that they’d been furloughed, and sound levels that had been reserved for the present at Pinewood Studios outdoors of London had been launched from the schedule and cleared. Sources at each Disney and Lucasfilm insisted to Self-importance Honest that the Obi-Wan Series stays actively within the works and isn’t being shelved, saying that the delay was due merely to additional improvement of the story and script rewrites.
The delay will not be anticipated to final quite a lot of months. Star Wars followers noticed their worries eased final week amid affirmation the present was nonetheless taking place, however alarm exploded once more Thursday when Collider journalist Adam Chitwood printed a report that delved deeper into the manufacturing delays. Lucasfilm declined to touch upon the matter.
The essential a part of the Obi-Wan presentation at D23 final summer season that now not appears to use is one thing Kennedy advised the gang after McGregor confirmed his return onstage. “I’ll additionally inform you we’re actually shut. We now have all of the scripts written. We’re prepared to begin capturing subsequent yr, and we are able to’t wait to begin manufacturing,” she mentioned.
Now, it appears, the wait begins.