Ewan McGregor has known about the Obi-Wan series for longer than we thought

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There have been rumours of Ewan McGregor returning to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new film or TV series for years, but each time, the actor denied knowing anything about it, merely saying that he'd be open to reprising the role should the occasion arise. Two months ago, it was finally made official at the D23 Expo when it was announced that Ewan McGregor would return to play the Jedi Master in an all-new series for the Disney+ streaming service.

This news brought much rejoicing from STAR WARS fans, but in a recent interview with Men's Journal, Ewan McGregor revealed that he had known of his return for longer than we assumed; a lot longer. The interview took place just before McGregor was slated to take the stage at the D23 Expo, where he could finally reveal the news which he'd kept secret for four years. That's right, four years. Four years of lies. When will it end, McGregor?!

It’s a fucking massive relief. Because for four years, I’ve been having to lie to people about it.

All kidding aside, that's one hell of a secret to keep for four years, but unfortunately, Ewan McGregor still has secrets to keep as he's obviously "not allowed to tell you anything about it." The actor did let it be known that the series will consist of six hour-long episodes and that production will kick off next summer. "The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV," McGregor teased, adding that the last time we saw him in the role, "the Jedi Order was falling apart. It will be interesting to take a character we know in a way and show him—Well, his arc will be quite interesting, I think, dealing with that the fact that all the Jedi were slaughtered with the end of Episode III. It’s quite something to get over." McGregor plans to rewatch the prequel trilogy, which he hasn't done since they were first released, but believes that so much time away from the franchise will be an asset. "I want to get closer and closer to how Obi-Wan felt while Alec Guinness was playing him. I feel like I’m grayer and nearer him in age, so it’ll be easier to do that," McGregor said.

In addition to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Lucasfilm is also developing a Cassian Andor series set to star ROGUE ONE's Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, but our first live-action STAR WARS series on Disney+ will be The Mandalorian, which drops on November 1, 2019.