One of the most anticipated sneak peeks of Friday’s Disney+ Day was a long-rumored preview of the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As part of its rollout of dozens of new titles and preview, the streaming service owned by ABC News’ parent company dropped its first look at the 2022 series.
“There’s a hunger for this character to come back,” star Ewan McGregor says in the clip. “The fans have been waiting long enough, you know?”
While the preview doesn’t show any new footage, it shows concept art for the series, which continues Kenobi’s story after the events of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. At the close of that film, Kenobi drops a newborn Luke Skywalker off with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on the desert planet Tatooine, promising Yoda he’ll watch over Luke from afar while in exile.
“It’s not safe,” Chow teases. “There’s Jedi hunters out there.”
The most fearsome one of all, of course, is Kenobi’s fallen former student, Anakin Skywalker. At the end of Episode III, Kenobi leaves him to his fate, burning alive and dismembered, after Kenobi defeats him on the lava planet Mustafar. But as fans know, Anakin is saved thanks to a frightening black suit and famously noisy breathing mask, and becomes Darth Vader.
As previously reported, Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Vader.
“We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Vader,” director Deborah Chow insists.
Concept art hints the Jedi master and his former apprentice will cross lightsabers again. McGregor jokes, “To have another swing at each other, might be quite satisfying for everybody.”
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