Obi-Wan Kenobi: is Ewan McGregor back for round two?

Apparently Ewan McGregor, the 48-year old Scottish actor, is in talks with Disney to return to his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not for a main series «Star Wars» movie, but a TV spin-off exclusively for the streaming service Disney Plus.

According to several noteworthy industry publications such as Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, McGregor already signed a contract. This would mean that the project is already further along than initial reports made out.

What's also interesting is the timing of these reports: D23 Expo, the biggest Disney fan event, will begin in a week. The rumour mill predicts that Disney will reveal live-action material and background information to «Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker» and «The Mandalorian». Announcing an «Obi-Wan Kenobi» series would fit right in.

No more movies, time for TV

The series format is probably a direct result of the financial failure (in German) that was «Solo: A Star Wars Story». The previously planned Kenobi film seems to be canned. The same fate befell the Boba Fett movie: the project was cancelled and replaced by «The Mandalorian», the first Star Wars series on Disney Plus.

It's still unclear in which «Star Wars» era this Kenobi series will be set. Due to McGregor's age, an origin story similar to «Solo: A Star Wars Story» seems unlikely. Which is why fans suspect the series will take place somewhere between episodes 3 and 4. This would fit his age perfectly.

Attention: spoilers for «Solo» and «Rebels» after the picture:

Around this time, Obi-Wan Kenobi is in exile on the remote desert planet Tatooine, looking over Anakin Skywalker's son Luke. A return of the evil Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park) seems likely, judging from his surprise appearance at the end of «Solo: A Star Wars Story». Fans are debating whether the series will follow the official «canon» as established in «Star Wars: Rebels». After all, Darth Maul was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of its fourth season.

Will the Kenobi series end the same way as «Rebels»? Or even venture into new territories? What do you think?

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