Well, here's a fun (or terrifying) rumour to end the week with; Jason Ward of Making Star Wars (who typically has a solid track record) has heard that the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series set to debut on the Disney+ streaming service will feature an appearance from one of the most reviled characters of the prequel trilogy; You know who I'm talking about – Jar Jar Binks.
Keep in mind that this is purely rumour at this point, but Jason Ward says that he's heard from several sources that Jar Jar Binks will be returning in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and that there will be some scenes that "delve into the aftermath of the prequels and what Jar Jar went through and Obi-Wan went through, and they're going to talk about what happened when they were deceived by the great lie." Additionally, Ward has also heard that Jar Jar Binks will look a little different when he returns, as he will reportedly be sporting a beard. Yep. It's not known at this time whether Ahmed Best, who performed and voiced Jar Jar Binks throughout the STAR WARS prequel trilogy as well as the Clone Wars TV series, will return to play the role, but Ward can't see why he wouldn't. Early work has reportedly been conducted on bringing the CG character back to STAR WARS, but once again, it's best to treat this as rumour as the Obi-Wan Kenobi series hasn't even started filming yet.
Although the backlash which Jar Jar Binks received upon his introduction in THE PHANTOM MENACE all those years ago was extreme, I'd like to think that attitudes towards the character have softened somewhat. Perhaps his appearance in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series could go a long way towards rehabilitating the character and showing him in a new light. What do you folks think? Would you be open to Jar Jar Binks returning for a heart-to-heart chat with his old friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Ewan McGregor will naturally be returning to the role he played throughout the STAR WARS prequel trilogy, with Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian) directing and Hossein Amini (The Alienist) scripting the six-episode series. Amini dropped a few tidbits about the series last year.
I can’t say very much. The plan is to start shooting in July, Ewan McGregor is signed on. I think he’s already said that it spans the period between episodes 3 and 4, so sort of after the fall of the republic and the massacre of the Jedi before the events of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’. It’s fascinating in the sense that it’s a period where there is a lot of change in the galaxy and a lot of hardship. So, for Obi Wan’s character, he has a lot to adjust to given the loss of his close friends and the order that he believed in. It felt like a really exciting opportunity to explore a different side of a franchise that I always loved and I’ve always loved it because of its spiritual aspects as well as its fun and action elements, it seems to work on way more than one level which isn’t always true for those big franchises.
The Mandalorian wrapped up its first season just two weeks ago (with a second on the way), but in addition to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, there's also Cassian Andor series in development which is set to star ROGUE ONE's Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk.