Obi-Wan Kenobi: Release date, time, trailer, latest news
Ewan McGregor is back as Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi for an all-new Disney Plus series.
Star Wars fans, prepare yourselves: the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series is heading to Disney Plus very soon.
And there’s certainly a lot for Star Wars fans to look forward to, with Obi-Wan Kenobi set to reunite fans with Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master for the first time since the prequels, as well as bringing McGregor's prequel trilogy co-star Hayden Christensen back in the iconic Darth Vader suit.
The six-part miniseries will explore what happened to the Jedi Master 10 years after his fallout with his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, who was seduced by the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader, with the title character in hiding from the Imperial Inquisitors sent to capture him.
The latest Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, which landed earlier this month to celebrate Star Wars Day, teases a long-awaited face-off between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader following Vader’s defeat on Mustafa, as the Empire’s ruthless Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram, The Queen's Gambit) warns Obi-Wan in the final moments: "You can't escape him." Read more on the exciting trailers below.
Disney Plus has also released an exciting new poster (below) for Obi-Wan Kenobi, showing the Jedi Master with a look of anguish on his face.
Christensen and McGregor are joined by Rupert Friend (Homeland), Indira Varma (Carnival Row) and Sung Kang (Fast & Furious), while Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse return as Owen and Beru Lars.
And that’s not all. Legendary composer John Williams is returning to the Jedi fold to compose the theme music, Variety reports. The publication adds that Oscar-winner Williams, who completed his ninth Star Wars film two years ago, recorded with a Los Angeles orchestra under tight security back in February.
Read on for everything you need to know about Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney Plus.
Obi-Wan Kenobi release date and time
Obi-Wan Kenobi will now be released on Disney Plus on Friday 27th May 2022 at 8am GMT.
The series was previously announced to be released on Wednesday 25th May 2022.
Star Wars fans knew that this date had a specific meaning since it was on that date in 1977 that the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, dropped in cinemas.
However, the series has now been pushed back by two days.
Thankfully, news of the delay came with a rewarding caveat - the first two episodes will be released together in a double-bill on the same day.
The further four episodes are expected weekly on Disney Plus.
A video announcement from Disney Plus featuring star Ewan McGregor confirmed the delay.
Filming officially wrapped on the big Star Wars project in September 2021.
"We finished shooting our series, and it was really, really good fun – I really enjoyed working with [director] Deborah Chow," he told press (via Variety).
"I think it will not disappoint," he added. "I think it's gonna be good. I had a really good time making it, and worked with some really wonderful people, lovely people.
"The new technology we employed doing it is cool, and it was a different experience than making the original three films that I did."
Back in August 2020, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy told The Wrap that the show was being developed as a limited series, meaning there may only be one season – although, that could change depending on fan response.
She said: "It’s been very exciting to see the talent that’s come in. And we’re now developing the limited Obi-Wan Kenobi series with Deborah Chow, and she’s just been doing a phenomenal job."
Obi-Wan Kenobi series cast
Below is the confirmed list for the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi
- Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor
- Sung Kang as The Fifth Inquisitor
- Moses Ingram as The Third Sister/Reva Sevander
- Benny Safdie as Nari
- Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars
- Bonnie Piesse as Beru Whitesun Lars
- Simone Kessell as Queen Breha Organa
- Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia Organa
- Flea as Vect Nokru
- Kumail Nanjiani as Haja Estree
- Marisé Álvarez as Nyche
- Rya Kihlstedt as The Fourth Sister
- Indira Varma as Tia
- Grant Freely as Luke Skywalker
- Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa
- Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker
Ewan McGregor will return to play Obi-Wan Kenobi once more. He debuted as the legendary Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, appearing in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
“I’m very excited to do it again – I’m probably more excited about it this time round," McGregor told Radio Times. "I’m older, slightly wiser, maybe. The great fun part of it the first time was to try and be Alec Guinness, but younger. That was the acting challenge, as well as learning all the tricky fights.
“Now I’m much closer in age to him – I guess he was in his 60s when he made the first Star Wars film, and I’m about to be in my 50s. Don’t tell anybody! So now I’ll be able to bridge that gap a bit more, and it’ll be fun to find him in that place.”
Previously, images for Obi-Wan Kenobi gave fans a taste of what to expect from Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Master.
Revealed by Entertainment Weekly, the images feature Obi-Wan holding his iconic blue lightsaber while standing in Tatooine.
Talking about his character in the series, McGregor told EW: "We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up."
At their epic investor presentation in December 2020, Disney confirmed what had long been rumoured: prequel trilogy co-star Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker (later known as Darth Vader) for the limited series.
"It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker," he said. "Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them... It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back."
The news was confirmed in a tweet from the official Star Wars account, along with a first look at the show's logo, which seems to make reference to the sands of Tatooine.
In March 2021, it was announced that Game of Thrones and Carnival Row star Indira Varma had joined the Obi-Wan Kenobi series in an undisclosed role, with the full cast being announced later that month.
The trailers suggest she is playing an imperial officer for the Galactic Empire.
In a social media post, Disney revealed that Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse are set to reprise their roles as Beru and Owen Lars from the prequel trilogy, who take care of an infant Luke Skywalker after his father falls to the dark side.
New additions to the Star Wars family include Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani and in a surprise move, Uncut Gems co-director Benny Safdie.
Nanjiani teased his mystery role in an interview with Rolling Stone, revealing that his character is supposed to be a "little bit intimidated" by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He continued: "The character sounded awesome — I was so excited about this character. We haven’t seen this exact thing in Star Wars yet. This is like a new version of a type of Star Wars character we’ve seen before."
Ingram will play the role of Inquisitor Reva, according to EW. The villain is described as "ruthlessly ambitious," with the star explaining that she, the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader "share a common dark-side goal. They're on the same team."
The star-studded cast also includes Rupert Friend (Homeland), O’Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton), Sung Kang (Fast & Furious) and Simone Kessell (Terra Nova).
There may well be some surprises in the cast too, if recent teases are any indication, with McGregor dropping a big hint in conversation with chat show host Jimmy Kimmel.
"I got to play a very special scene on May 4th with someone very special in my life, and that's all I can tell you about it," he said in an interview from earlier this year.
The actor elaborated that this was someone he has never shared the screen with before, adding that they are also "not necessarily" a familial relation. Very interesting!
For anyone concerned that he could be pulling our leg and talking about himself, as Paul Bettany infamously did with his dual WandaVision role, rest assured that McGregor has appeared opposite himself before in the third season of Fargo (where he played twins).
Many fans were hoping to see Liam Neeson reprise his role as Obi Wan's Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn in this miniseries, who was said to have finally become one with the force at the end of Revenge of the Sith.
This opens the door for him to appear as a force ghost, an idea that Neeson told Collider he'd be "up for", but insisted over the summer that he has not been invited back for the project.
"I heard Ewan McGregor was going to do a series... no, I haven't been approached," he told Jimmy Kimmel Live, jokingly adding: "They don't have enough money."
Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best has also ruled himself out of a cameo appearance, saying in a social media post: "Thanks for the love, but I will not be in this series. As much as I would’ve loved to be a part of it. But I’m ecstatic to see folks who I love dearly back together doing great things."
There have also been rumours that Ahsoka Tano – Anakin's padawan learner from the Clone Wars animated series – could make a cameo appearance as played by Rosario Dawson, but these remain entirely unconfirmed.
Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer
Disney Plus has released the first teaser trailer, giving fans a glimpse of Ewan McGregor as a dejected Jedi Master looking after a 10-year-old Luke Skywalker in the desert of Tatooine.
We're introduced to his new enemy, the force-sensitive inquisitor, Reva, played by Moses Ingram (The Queen's Gambit). The Grand Inquisitor also makes his live-action debut, played by Rupert Friend, and Joel Edgerton is back as Uncle Owen.
We also have a behind-the-scenes video that was released by Disney Plus as part of its Disney Plus Day.
The clip has not been made free to view online but is available through the Disney Plus platform itself at the link here if you are already a subscriber to the streaming service.
The description for the video notes that the series is a "special event" that is set 10 years following the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith.
Obi-Wan will still be recovering from having lost his beloved apprentice Anakin Skywalker to the Sith.
Anakin now serves the Galactic Empire as the villainous and much-feared Darth Vader.
The video also shows off concept art for the series which teases another lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Vader.
"There’s a hunger for this character to come back," comments McGregor in the clip . “The fans have been waiting long enough, you know?"
Teasing the battle between his character and Vader, he notes: "To have another swing at each other might be quite satisfying."
A second trailer has now been released, giving fans another look at McGregor as the Jedi Master and teasing a duel between Darth Vader and his former master as the Empire’s ruthless Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) says in the final moments: "You can't escape him."
Watch below:
How many episodes is Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Obi-Wan Kenobi will consist of six episodes.
The first two episodes will be released on Disney Plus on the series premiere date.
The exact run times of the episodes have yet to be confirmed.
Obi-Wan Kenobi plot
The Obi-Wan series will take place 10 years after the events of 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, where we last saw Obi-Wan watching over Luke Skywalker, the secret child of Darth Vader, on Tatooine.
Writer Joby Harold told EW what to expect in April 2022. "It takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, in a time of darkness in the galaxy," he explained.
"The Empire is in the ascendancy. And all the horrors that come with the Empire are being made manifest throughout the galaxy. And the Jedi Order as we know them are being all but wiped out. So everything that was in the prequels has crumbled."
"Those surviving Jedi, those that do survive, are on the run and they're in hiding. And Vader and his Inquisitors are chasing them to the end of the galaxy," he continued.
"Within that hopeless fatalistic world, we find possibly the most famous of all our surviving Jedi in hiding struggling with that faith that defines the Jedi, and wanting to hold onto it and hoping to regain that faith within that sort of hopeless world."
An official – if rather vague – synopsis was previously released by Disney in March 2022, which revealed: "During the reign of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi embarks on a crucial mission. Kenobi must confront allies turned enemies and face the wrath of the Empire."
It appears that Obi-Wan Kenobi will once more face off against his fallen apprentice, in what producer Kathleen Kennedy has described as "the rematch of the century".
"We will definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again," she told GamesRadar.
Ewan McGregor has also revealed Obi-Wan hasn't quite recovered from the Jedi Cull in Revenge of the Sith.
“His arc will be quite interesting, I think, dealing with that, the fact that all the Jedi were slaughtered with the end of [Revenge of the Sith]. It’s quite something to get over,” he told Men's Journal.
Many fans are hoping the series can fill in some of the blanks about Obi-Wan. Why does he call himself 'Ben Kenobi' in A New Hope? How is he so familiar with Mos Eisley? And did he have adventures outside Tatooine during his wilderness years?
- Take a look at our live Obi-Wan Kenobi review
Where is the Obi-Wan Kenobi series filmed?
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will utilise the same remarkable video wall technology pioneered by Industrial Light & Magic, which has also been used to bring the world of The Mandalorian to life.
"They employ that incredible screen, and I don't even begin to know how it works, but it's pretty amazing, y'know," McGregor told ACE Universe. "And so when you're on set, if you're in a snowscape or something, well, when you look around, you see that. And it makes you feel like you're in the place.
He added: "I think it's going to be more, it's going to feel realer for us, for the actors. And I think we'll be using some of that technology on our show."
Co-star Kumail Nanjiani also praised the revolutionary new method of blockbuster filmmaking, agreeing that it helps aid the cast performances by transporting them to a galaxy far, far away.
"You really feel like you’re there," he told Rolling Stone. "The first scene we shot, it was Star Wars outside the windows, with aliens walking around and ships flying by and all this stuff, but the rest of it just looked like a warehouse.
"So I did a couple of takes and then Ewan was like, 'You know, none of this is real.' I knew the windows weren’t real, but the walls weren’t either! I looked and I was like, 'Wow, the walls are projected.' The only thing that was real in the whole room was the desk I was sitting at. It was wild."
Obi-Wan Kenobi director
LucasFilm confirmed that Deborah Chow will direct the series.
Chow, who recently worked on fellow Star Wars Disney+ series The Mandalorian, has also directed episodes of Mr Robot, American Gods, Jessica Jones, Fear the Walking Dead, Better Call Saul and The Man in the High Castle.
“We really wanted to select a director who is able to explore both the quiet determination and rich mystique of Obi-Wan in a way that folds seamlessly into the Star Wars saga," LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in a release.
"Based on her phenomenal work developing our characters in The Mandalorian, I’m absolutely confident Deborah is the right director to tell this story.”
The series was originally being written by Hossein Amini, the screenwriter behind films and TV shows like McMafia, Drive, The Alienist, 47 Ronin, Snow White and the Huntsman and Our Kind of Traitor, which coincidentally starred Ewan McGregor.
However, Amini left the project in January 2020. He is reportedly being replaced by Joby Harold, who served as executive producer for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and is writing Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
According to Variety, Harold was also selected to develop a new take on the Transformers franchise over at Paramount.
Chow and McGregor will serve as executive producers alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Tracey Seaward (The Queen) and John Swartz (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Legendary composer John Williams will write the music, two years after completing his ninth Star Wars film.
What happened to the Obi-Wan Kenobi film?
McGregor has confirmed that early plans for Obi-Wan's return had him on the big screen, but eventually the idea shifted to Disney+ instead – and director Deborah Chow believes that's a good thing.
“The situation is so complex both for [Obi-Wan] personally and in a way, the state of the galaxy, you sort of need time to explore it,” Chow recently told the New York Times.“And to be honest there are loads of other stories within that period as well, it’s quite a few years.
"There is so much going on between [Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope] that hasn’t been explored. The idea of being able to go into a character journey plus the politics and plus all the vastness of the Empire and what’s going on is exciting just because it feels like a proper period of history and sometimes that is hard to do in two hours.”
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will air on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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