Here’s Everything You Need To Know About “Obi-Wan Kenobi”
Star Wars fans, rejoice! There’s a new series coming your way to Disney+, and this one is set to offer a whole load of nostalgia.
1. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not the first Star Wars series to air on Disney+.
4. So, what do we already know about Obi-Wan Kenobi?
5. The new series introduces Rupert Friend as the first live action interpretation of a pivotal character.
6. The Inquisitorius will also make their live-action debut.
7. Obi-Wan Kenobi brings a new planet with it.
8. There’ll be some throwback cast members…
9. …and some new cast members will be joining the saga!
Along with the new cast of Inquisitors, the show is bringing in a whole host of familiar names. Let’s have a little run-down, shall we?
Kumail Nanjiani: Known for his more recent role as Kingo in Marvel’s Eternals, and The Big Sick, which he co-wrote (and starred in), as it was based on the love and culture struggles him and his now-wife faced.
O’Shea Jackson Jr.: You’ll likely know him as the son of rapper Ice Cube, and because he portrayed his own father in Straight Outta Compton.
Simone Kessell: Known for her roles in the TV mini-series, Reckoning, and Pine Gap.
Benny Safdie: You may recognize the Safdie name from the notion of the Safdie brothers, Benny and Josh Safdie, who have collaborated together as directors for indie-hits Good Time and Uncut Gems. Benny has also acted previously in Pieces of a Woman.
Indira Varma: Actor Indira Varma previously starred in Game of Thrones as Ellaria Sand, along with her wider portfolio of movies such as The One and Only Ivan and Crisis.
Maya Erskine: A newer actress to the Industry, Maya has been securing roles since 2019. You may recognize her if you have watched PEN15 or Wine Country.
10. The show has a familiar director taking charge.
All episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are being directed by none other than Deborah Chow, who you’ll recognize for her directorial talents on two episodes of The Mandalorian (Chapter 3 and Chapter 7 to be precise). Chow has also directed one-off episodes for a variety of shows, including American Gods, The Man in the High Castle, and Lost in Space.
When speaking to Entertainment Weekly about taking on the new show, Chow teased that it’s a “very dark time to be a Jedi, and most of them are hiding or dead,” and that she was glad to have gone through The Mandalorian because that was “really [her] introduction to the responsibility to [the Star Wars] universe and how to tell stories in this galaxy.”
If Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to be anything like Chow’s two Mandalorian chapters, then I’m sold.
11. An epic cinematographer will be setting the visual tone.
Tristan Fewings / Getty Images / Via Getty Images, Disney+ / Via youtube.com
South Korean cinematographer, Chung-hoon Chung, is the artist behind the series’ visuals, and I am ecstatic about this! Chung-hoon Chung has a range of unbelievably beautiful films under his belt, having been the cinematographer on the striking romance-thriller The Handmaiden, the electric action-drama Oldboy, and more-recently, the dark and moody Last Night in Soho.
I’ve seen so much of Chung-hoon Chung’s work, and he has such a varied, playful, and dreamy style, so I am anticipating great things as he steps into the galaxy!
12. Composer Natalie Holt scored the series, and John Williams took on the Obi theme.
Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Turner / Via Getty Images, Paul Archuleta / Getty Images
Yep, you read that right! American composer, John Williams, who composed the music for the primary feature Star Wars films came back to deliver us the Obi theme for the show! If that’s not good enough for you, then composer Natalie Holt, known for her work on Marvel’s Loki, has scored the rest of the series.
In conversation with the Hollywood Reporter, Holt discussed how she didn’t get to collaborate with Williams as he came on for just two weeks to write the Obi theme, but it was perfect, and a gift for her, which then paved the way for her to pe into the rest of the project.
Listens to “The Imperial March” on repeat
13. Obi-Wan Kenobi could have gotten canned.
The most shocking news of all is that the series may not have made it into production! According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show was put on hold in 2020 because it was said that Lucasfilm was unhappy with the script. The story describes that there was more to it though, as when Chow showed the scripts to Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, there were concerns that there were too many similarities between The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The end result was that a new writer, Joby Harold, was onboarded.
14. Darth Maul might have had an on-screen comeback.
One of Star Wars most memorable villains, Darth Maul, could have been set to appear in Disney’s latest series. It was stated in the Hollywood Reporter that not only was the Sith Lord intending to return to the saga, but apparently, actor Ray Park was preparing to reprise his role as the original Maul. It’s indicated that the character was changed in favor of Darth Vader, amidst the creative overhaul of the show.
Plus, the animated Star Wars Rebels series had already previously dove into more about both Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, across a similar time-span that the creators of Obi-Wan are basing their storyline on.
15. The show doesn’t look like it’s going to be as dark as expected.
Disney+ has listed the Obi-Wan Kenobi series with a TV age rating of 9, which I was quite surprised by as this is notably lower than The Mandalorian, which had a rating of 14+, and The Book of Boba Fett, which was rated 12+.
This makes me think that Obi-Wan Kenobi may be a little more family friendly than the likes of The Mandalorian, for example. Plus, given some of the mild violence or language in other Star Wars flicks, we can only assume that there’ll be even less of it in the new series. I personally was expecting Obi-Wan Kenobi to feel a little darker given the return of Vader, but learning of the lower TV age has swayed my opinion quite a bit!
16. It’s another series filmed with stagecraft technology.
Stagecraft technology is an on-set virtual production of visual effects that uses giant screens and photorealistic 3D modeling software to create an environment. Stagecraft has been used in the likes of The Mandalorian and The Batman, and the former pretty much set the standard for how the technology could be used. The method calls for less reliance on green screens and allows actors to actually visualize the settings around them, making the filming experience much more immersive, and adding a sense of realism to viewers watching at home.
In an interview with Variety, Ewan McGregor expressed how much he liked the technology he was able to work with, stating that “it’s like the beginning of Hollywood. It’s almost like when they had three-sided sets all in a row, and a bunch of guys with windup cameras, and you would just go from one stage to the other, one background to the other. Well, we’re doing sort of the same thing, except just the background changes instead of the stage. I’m excited about it because I feel like anything’s possible now. That you can invent stuff, interiors or exteriors that don’t exist in the real world, and put us into that environment.”
17. What do I need to watch in order to keep up?
If you’re already a Star Wars fan, then no doubt you’ll be going into the show well-equipped with the knowledge and expectations for what’s to come. Fear not if you’re a newbie though, because you’ll be safe by just watching the prequel trilogy of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
This is a spin-off series after all, so I’d always recommend going in with some form of knowledge before watching, as it’ll boost your viewing experience. That said, if you really haven’t got the time, it’s probably not essential given that I know many people who’s first Star Wars experience came via The Mandalorian, and they still had a good time with it!
18. Obi-Wan Kenobi will be an easy binge.
Coming in at 6 episodes strong, Obi-Wan Kenobi makes for easy binge-viewing. Plus, when chatting to Men’s Journal, McGregor let it slip that the average run time would be about an hour long.
I mean, that’s not even a full working day, so fans will have the show ticked off their list in no time!
19. It begins at the end of May.
View this video on YouTube
The series will launch on Disney+ on May 27 with a two-episode drop. After that, the remaining episodes will be released weekly.