With Book of Boba Fett wrapping up this week, all eyes are turning to Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will star Ewan McGregor in his return to the famous role.
Speaking with Forbes, McGregor opened up about the new series, saying that he "loved" reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. At 50, McGregor isn't far removed from the age of Alex Guinness circa 1977, who was 62 when he first donned the battered brown Jedi robes in the original Star Wars.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi being McGregor's first major turn in the role of Kenobi since 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the Scottish actor reflected on what the prequels have meant for younger fans who have since come of age.
"I mean it's quite interesting, after the experience of making the first three films and living through sort of their reception in the world, which wasn't always glowing, I have to say," McGregor said. "And then now, meeting the generation who we made those films for, the children then — and now, people in their late teens or early 20s, those people who were kids who we made those films for, they loved them. To them, they're their Star Wars films, you know? For us, it was the original films of the ‘70s, but for them, it was our films were their Star Wars. So to step back into his shoes again now and do a series, a whole series about Obi-Wan Kenobi for those fans, it just makes me really happy."
Once vilified and virtually ignored, Star Wars is increasingly embracing prequel nostalgia. Book of Boba Fett includes a number of direct nods to Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, among them a glimpse of Kamino, where Kenobi battled Jango Fett.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi focusing on the exiled Jedi's time in the deserts of Tatooine, the new show figures to include equal parts nostalgia for the original trilogy and the prequels. Among them are hints of a secret duel between Darth Vader and Kenobi — the proverbial rematch of the century between master and student.
Beyond that, McGregor only offers hints of what's to come in Obi-Wan Kenobi, praising director Deborah Chow and talking about what it's like to reunite with Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the prequels.
"It was a great experience. Deborah Chow directed all the episodes and she’s really good. She directed a couple [episodes] of The Mandalorian and she’s a really great director. She really knows the Star Wars world, inside out, far more than I do," McGregor laughed. "We just had a great time. I think it's no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again.
"I'm not going to give away anything else about the storyline, only I think it's really going to satisfy Star Wars fans. I always felt there was a story between Episode III where I finished playing Obi-Wan in the movies and Episode IV where Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The [Obi-Wan Kenobi series] writers and Deb and I and everyone, I think we crafted or they crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it."
We'll know soon enough whether Obi-Wan Kenobi passes muster with Star Wars fans, who have been mostly split on Book of Boba Fett. Obi-Wan Kenobi will release on May 25.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN
Continue reading...
Speaking with Forbes, McGregor opened up about the new series, saying that he "loved" reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. At 50, McGregor isn't far removed from the age of Alex Guinness circa 1977, who was 62 when he first donned the battered brown Jedi robes in the original Star Wars.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi being McGregor's first major turn in the role of Kenobi since 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the Scottish actor reflected on what the prequels have meant for younger fans who have since come of age.
"I mean it's quite interesting, after the experience of making the first three films and living through sort of their reception in the world, which wasn't always glowing, I have to say," McGregor said. "And then now, meeting the generation who we made those films for, the children then — and now, people in their late teens or early 20s, those people who were kids who we made those films for, they loved them. To them, they're their Star Wars films, you know? For us, it was the original films of the ‘70s, but for them, it was our films were their Star Wars. So to step back into his shoes again now and do a series, a whole series about Obi-Wan Kenobi for those fans, it just makes me really happy."
Once vilified and virtually ignored, Star Wars is increasingly embracing prequel nostalgia. Book of Boba Fett includes a number of direct nods to Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, among them a glimpse of Kamino, where Kenobi battled Jango Fett.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi focusing on the exiled Jedi's time in the deserts of Tatooine, the new show figures to include equal parts nostalgia for the original trilogy and the prequels. Among them are hints of a secret duel between Darth Vader and Kenobi — the proverbial rematch of the century between master and student.
Beyond that, McGregor only offers hints of what's to come in Obi-Wan Kenobi, praising director Deborah Chow and talking about what it's like to reunite with Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the prequels.
"It was a great experience. Deborah Chow directed all the episodes and she’s really good. She directed a couple [episodes] of The Mandalorian and she’s a really great director. She really knows the Star Wars world, inside out, far more than I do," McGregor laughed. "We just had a great time. I think it's no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again.
"I'm not going to give away anything else about the storyline, only I think it's really going to satisfy Star Wars fans. I always felt there was a story between Episode III where I finished playing Obi-Wan in the movies and Episode IV where Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The [Obi-Wan Kenobi series] writers and Deb and I and everyone, I think we crafted or they crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it."
We'll know soon enough whether Obi-Wan Kenobi passes muster with Star Wars fans, who have been mostly split on Book of Boba Fett. Obi-Wan Kenobi will release on May 25.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN
Continue reading...