Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Introducing New Jedi?

Could the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi be introducing a new Jedi to the mix? An actor gave some clues that it might be the case.

By Charlene Badasie | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

Star Wars: Visions and The Book of Boba Fett are edging ever closer to their release dates, but Obi-Wan Kenobi may still be the most anticipated Star Wars series in recent times. The six-episode series will follow self-exiled Jedi, Obi-Wan as he keeps a watchful eye over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine.

While Disney has managed to keep plot details behind a wall of secrecy, newly confirmed cast member Sung Kang has shared some details about it was like working on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Speaking to Screen Rant, the actor best known for his role as Han in the Fast & Furious franchise revealed that his character will have a lightsaber.

“I kept pinching myself going, ‘How did I end up here?’ and, my character has a lightsaber!” Kang told the publication about his role in Obi-Wan Kenobi. He went on to explain that he was ecstatic when he got to hold the famous Jedi weapon instead of a toy version. The Fast star also took a moment to revisit his childhood, talking about what it meant to work on something he grew up loving. “You know what it means to me? As a kid, my favorite holiday was Halloween. I used to dress up in the cheap Halloween costumes as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader almost every single day.”

Unfortunately, Kang didn’t reveal anything more about his role in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Will the series be introducing a new Jedi or will he gravitate toward the Sith? Interestingly, rumors suggest that Kang will use the dark side of the Force, specifically portraying the Fifth Brother, an Inquisitor that was last seen in Star Wars: Rebels.

Meanwhile, Ewan McGregor who played a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the franchise’s prequel trilogy will reprise his role as the Jedi Master for the show. The series will follow a new story that takes place ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope. The project was originally supposed to be a spin-off film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Hossein Amini, but it was reworked as a limited series following the financial failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

After a few mishaps with the Obi-Wan Kenobi script, Joby Harold (of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword fame) reworked the story until the studio was happy with it. Filming began in April 2021 in Los Angeles with Deborah Chow (who has worked on The Mandalorian) handling directing duties.

Ewan McGregor, Ethan Hawke

Much to the delight of fans everywhere, Hayden Christensen will also be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan’s former Jedi Padawan and partner who fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will also feature Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, a moisture farmer on Tatooine and the uncle of Luke Skywalker as well as Bonnie Piesse as Beru Whitesun Lars, Owen’s wife, and Luke’s aunt.

Additionally, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, and Maya Erskine have been cast in undisclosed rolesObi-Wan Kenobi is scheduled to be released in 2022 on the Disney+ streaming service.