Ewan McGregor Reveals the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Show Will Borrow From The Mandalorian Technology

By Tom Drew Updated:
Obi Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian poster

An Obi-Wan project has been much anticipated by Star Wars fans, and fan demand was finally met when the Untitled Obi-Wan series was announced at the D23 2019 Expo after countless rumors. According to a Disney+ press release, the series is expected to hit the streaming service sometime in 2022 and will mark Ewan McGregor's return as the Jedi Master himself. The Mandalorian 's Deborah Chow is also attached as showrunner.

Several characters from the Star Wars galaxy have been rumored to appear in the show, such as Rosario Dawson appearing as Ahsoka Tano and Hayden Christian returning as Anakin Skywalker . It is unknown when the series will begin production, with new writer Joby Harold hired to retool the script in April .

McGregor has now spoken a bit more about the series, giving some insight on what can expected from the production...

NEWS

In an interview with ACE Universe , Ewan McGregor provided an update on aspects of the U ntitled Obi-Wan Disney+ series. McGregor specifically commented on how similar technology to what was used during production of The Mandalorian will also be used for the Obi-Wan series, saying that it would make his job a lot easier:

"They employ that incredible screen, and I don't even begin to know how it works, but it's pretty amazing, y'know. And so when you're on set, if you're in a snowscape or something, well, when you look around, you see that. And it makes you feel like you're in the place; I think it's going to be more, it's going to feel realer for us, for the actors. And I think we'll be using some of that technology on our show.

The Obi-Wan actor also mentioned that he did not know what the series would be called as of yet, but did comment on fan poster mockups referencing the "Hello, There" meme.

Later on in the conversation, McGregor commented on how grateful he is to still have had a role in the galaxy far, far away, saying:

I think it's probably true to say that I'm more excited about playing Obi-Wan again now than I was even the first time, cause you live and learn. The more I realize what I'm part of, in a way... I think in the time when you're young, you treat it like 'It's just another movie like all the other ones I'm making.'  But now, looking back on it, you can see you're involved in something quite huge in the Star Wars... I don't like the word franchise, but this sort of fable or legend, or whatever you might call it. And so, this time, to go back and to bridge that gap even moreso between what we were trying to do in the first three films, playing a young version of Alec Guinness. Well, now I'm closer in age when he did the first one... I think it'll be really interesting now to go through that experience again and to start watching Alec Guinness... Now I'll have to watch Alec Guinness' work when he was in his 40's and 50's.

The full interview can be viewed below, with the conversation about Obi-Wan Kenobi beginning around the 6:30 mark.

WHAT THIS MEANS

The fact that the series will make use of the same technology as The Mandalorian for its production is incredibly exciting. The Mandalorian impressed with its visuals through its use of a dynamic 360 degree screen and the Unreal Engine for rendering visual effects, which is typically used in video game development. Therefore, it seems as though similar techniques, including the use of the large video wall, will be used for the Obi-Wan series in order to achieve the same level of quality on a television budget.

McGregor's pointing out that he was unaware of the official title for the series could suggest that the series may be called something other than the expected "Obi-Wan" or "Kenobi". The series currently has the working title 'Pilgrim' , so the official name could thematically draw from this idea.

Ultimately, we'll just have to wait and see whether "Hello, There" will actually be the official title for the Obi-Wan series.

- About The Author: Tom Drew
Tom Drew is the Executive Editor at The Direct. Tom writes for The Direct's Marvel, Star Wars, and DC branches while specializing in all things movies, from blockbuster to indie darlings.