“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the Disney+ series based on the beloved “Star Wars” character (once again inhabited by Ewan McGregor, who played the Jedi Master in the prequels), has had a long and winding path to Disney+. But it’s nearly here and there’s a brand-new trailer. Perhaps balance is returning to the Force.
The trailer offers a new view of Kenobi’s hiding-in-the-desert years, with Inquisitors (dark Jedi-hunters) hot on the trail of our favorite Force-wielder, and him keeping a close eye on a young Luke Skywalker.
A proposed Obi-Wan Kenobi-centered spin-off has been in the works since at least 2017, when director Stephen Daldry and “Drive” writer Hossein Amini attached to direct a feature-length version of the story. After the middling box office of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” spin-off movies were scrapped with more emphasis being placed on potential Disney+ series. The series was announced at the D23 Expo in 2019, with McGregor joining Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy for the big news. (This is also where they announced that Hayden Christensen would be returning to the franchise as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.)
Production was slated to begin in 2020, in part based off of Amini’s scripts, but the show was quietly shut down and reconfigured. This new iteration will have scripts by Joby Harold, will be directed by Deborah Chow, and feature cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung. The limited will consist of six episodes.
The series follows on the heels of other “Star Wars” shows “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” with the “Rogue One” prequel series “Andor” slated to be released on Disney+ later this year.
Watch the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” trailer in the video above. The show premieres exclusively on Disney+ starting on May 25, the 45th anniversary of the first “Star Wars” film.
