Ewan McGregor Reveals ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Original Pitch Was About Obi-Wan and Luke; Talks Liam Neeson’s Return as Qui-Gon
Ewan McGregor has revealed the initial story for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney Plus was going to focus on the Jedi Master’s relationship with a young Luke Skywalker. The actor also praised the cameo of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, reprising the role in live-action for the first time since 1999’s The Phantom Menace.
Talking at Fan Expo Boston (hat tip Sci-Fi and Fantasy Gazette), McGregor explained that he was initially told the series would be predominantly about Obi-Wan watching over a young Luke, until there was a creative shift in the project’s development. His comments indicate that he was more than happy with the change:
“It was going to be a story about me and Luke. It was always going to be that, and that was one of the genius moments where everyone went, ‘Wait a minute,’ and then changed it.”
The creative shift towards Obi-Wan rescuing and protecting a young Leia likely happened to give Obi-Wan a reason to leave Tatooine and go on a journey across multiple planets. There has been buzz, including from McGregor himself, about a follow-up to Obi-Wan Kenobi. The series was a big success for Disney Plus, with the finale being among the most-watched on Disney Plus thus far. So with the way the series ends back on Tatooine, a story about Obi-Wan and a young Luke could still be on the cards if Lucasfilm chooses to do more with the characters.
Speaking of endings, McGregor praised the show’s return of Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn. McGregor expressed his excitement upon learning he would get to interact with one of his former co-stars after nearly 25 years:
“Liam is a hero of mine… When I was growing up and wanting to be an actor, I was always watching Liam Neeson’s work, and he was involved in some beautiful work as a younger actor. And so to get the chance to work with him and to have this great relationship that we got to create together is fantastic, and to get the chance to work with himself again on the series right at the end.”
As it stands, the ending of the series sets up the possibility of a follow-up with Neeson playing a larger role, with Qui-Gon having finally returned once Obi-Wan came to terms with what happened to his apprentice and properly shifting his focus to the Skywalker twins, as well as his journey in learning how to become one with the Force beyond death. But difficult to see, the future is. Only time will tell.
All episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are currently streaming on Disney Plus.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
