Lucasfilm and Disney are currently experiencing a massive popularity surge as a result of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. After such a positive response to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s recently released first trailer, which reintroduced McGregor to his iconic role for the first time in 17 years, the franchise’s immediate future looks bright.
That trailer managed to keep most of the series’ secrets hidden while also providing fans with a glimpse of the former Jedi Master in his latest adventure during his exile on Tatooine. Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t short on exciting new moments, with the prospect of meeting Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader and exploring new worlds.
The only question left after watching this trailer is whether or not Obi-Wan Kenobi will return after Season 1 concludes. Despite the growing excitement and anticipation for McGregor’s solo Disney+ series; it has been billed as a limited series, which means it was created with only one season in mind. However, according to a recent interview; that doesn’t mean the show’s creators aren’t keeping their options open for more if an opportunity arises.
Lucasfilm Executive Speaks Out
Kathleen Kennedy, president and producer of Lucasfilm, and Deborah Chow, director of Obi-Wan Kenobi; spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the show’s chances for a second season.
Chow confirmed that the show began as a limited series; and a complete adventure told in six episodes, regardless of what the show’s future may hold.
Kennedy, on the other hand, is keeping Season 2 options open; owing to how much fun everyone had making the show. While there are certainly options for where another round of Obi-Wan Kenobi could go; the biggest challenge would be answering the question of why would they do it.
“It’s certainly something we talk about, mainly because everybody came together and had such an incredible time. Ewan had an incredible time. Hayden had an incredible time. So certainly from that point of view, everybody involved would love to see this not end. But we have to really spend our time asking the question: Why would we do it? If we were to decide to do anything more with the Obi-Wan character, we’d have to really answer the question why?”
Keeping The Options Open
Throughout the promotional tour for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lucasfilm and Disney have been clear that it will be a limited series. However, given what the production companies are seeking to grow on the Star Wars narrative via; other shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s potential is limitless.
The immediate task at hand is determining where McGregor’s hero goes in Season 1; as he attempts to protect Luke Skywalker from his father on Tatooine. However, given the unexplored time period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope; the show’s creatives have an open canvas to use for more Obi-Wan stories.
The most important thing to remember from these quotes is that; regardless of what happens in the future; Chow and Kennedy made sure to tell a full story about Obi-Wan’s return. Season 1 will reach its conclusion at the end of June; with fans and executives keen to see how Obi-Wan works issues on Tatooine and throughout the galaxy. However, there will be involvement in a prospective second season; to see how this can expand even further after that time.
The Kenobi Show Came With A Lot Of Passion
The new chapter, written by Harold and Chow, takes place ten years after Obi-Wan went into hiding on Tatooine, roughly midway between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. “Obi-Wan is gone,” McGregor says. “He’s a broken man as a result of what happened with the Jedi Order at the end of Episode III, but also because of what happened with Anakin; he lost him to the dark side. He bears a great deal of responsibility and guilt for this.” The six-part series focuses on the journey from pain to some measure of peace. “We last saw Obi-Wan in the prequels, and he’s very emotional,” Harold says.
“There’s a passion to him. And when we get to see him again in A New Hope, he is the Zen master. That was the story that I wanted to understand — what had happened to Obi-Wan between the guy that Ewan had brought to life and the guy that Sir Alec Guinness brought to life.”
Kathleen Kennedy in an interview with EW, addressed how things took a turn with this show. The idea for a Kenobi show happened long before the inception of Disney+. It was a toil and passion of hers to bring him to the fans once again. She also told on how it was then, that Disney made a plan to take over Netflix. With the launch of Disney+, it was time to bring unknown stories to the screen. That’s where the Mandalorian was born.
“We started to look at the opportunity in the streaming space where we could do long-form storytelling, and we realized there was an opportunity to experiment in that space without the level of scrutiny that happens when you release a feature.”
This necessitated the creation of The Mandalorian. It meant resurrecting Boba Fett from the dead. It meant deviating from animated series such as The Clone Wars and staging another prequel, this time for Rogue One intelligence officer Cassian Andor. And it meant Ewan McGregor taking the stage to raucous applause at the D23 convention in August 2019 to officially announce his return as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Excitement was heightened a month later when it was revealed that Deborah Chow, who had previously worked on The Mandalorian, would direct the Obi-Wan series, making her the first woman to direct an entire live-action Star Wars project from start to finish.
With McGregor back, there’s only one alternative to fill out the big black costume this time. Chow went to Hayden’s farm to make her pitch in person. “Deborah came up and we talked all day,” Christensen says.
“She told me a little bit about the project and her vision for it, and it sounded fantastic. I was very excited to return.”
Well, all is well that ends well. Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to return and will make his Disney+ debut on May 25.
