Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Series With Ewan McGregor Coming to Disney+

Disney is getting more aggressive about expanding the small screen Star Wars universe on the Disney+ streaming service. But the latest addition to the Star Wars live action TV lineup is perhaps the most anticipated of all, as it involves the return of one of the most beloved figures in franchise history: Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

THR confirmed the news that McGregor is in talks to reprise his role as the legendary Jedi and General in a Disney+ TV series, marking the first time he’s donned the robe and lightsaber since 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. While the Star Wars prequels remain a divisive issue among fans, nobody ever questioned the casting of McGregor as Obi-Wan, who brought the same calm intensity to the role as its originator, Sir Alec Guinness (not to mention a dead-on approximation of Guinness’ delivery). 

There has long been an appetite for McGregor to return as Obi-Wan, with rumors swirling for years of a movie in development, rumors that were finally confirmed in 2017 with the news of a standalone Obi-Wan movie with Stephen Daldry directing. That project, along with several others, was quietly reshuffled following the underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story at the box office in 2018. Disney has since played their big screen plans for Star Wars close to the vest, choosing instead to put all the public focus on the closing chapter of the Skywalker saga with The Rise of Skywalker, presumably to deflect perceptions that the franchise was getting watered down with frequent movie releases. They’ve meanwhile pivoted to live action TV, with The Mandalorianlooking to launch along with the Disney+ streaming service, to be followed by an untitled series that will focus on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.