Obi-Wan Kenobi sizzle reel teases rematch with Darth Vader as Ewan McGregor returns to Star Wars
As part of an event for its second anniversary on Friday, Disney+ teased Ewan McGregor's long-awaited return to Star Wars in Obi-Wan Kenobi. A sizzle reel for the show was released on Disney+ featuring concept art, including a drawing of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel.
McGregor implied Obi-Wan and Vader will come to blows in the series, which is set after the events of 2005's Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. "[Having] another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody," he said.
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When viewers last left Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, he was tasked with watching over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine years before the original Star Wars trilogy. As director Deborah Chow explained in the sizzle reel, the show picks up during a "dark time" for Obi-Wan, and things are not safe for him with "Jedi hunters out there." McGregor also explained that Obi-Wan has "one task left," protecting Luke Skywalker, and Chow called this the starting place for the series.
This will be McGregor's first time playing Obi-Wan on screen since Revenge of the Sith, though he had minor voice cameos in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While the Star Wars prequel films received a mixed reception when they were released, McGregor's performance was widely praised, and fans have long called for him to reprise the role. Hayden Christensen will also be back in Obi-Wan Kenobi as Darth Vader, and McGregor in the sizzle reel said the "most beautiful" thing about the show is that it "brought me back together with Hayden."
Friday's Disney+ Day event also included the first footage from several Marvel shows, including She-Hulk and Moon Knight, the first image from the upcoming Hocus Pocus sequel, and more. Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn't yet have a premiere date, but it's set to debut sometime in 2022.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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