Fans of Star Wars have been desperate to see Ewan McGregor return to the role of Obi-Wan, whether it be a standalone film or series. So, those same fans were ecstatic when it was revealed that McGregor would be returning to the role in a limited series on Disney+.
It only got even crazier when it was announced at Disney Investor's Day event in 2020 that Hayden Christensen would be returning as Anakin Skywalker for the series. Then, the hits kept coming when Darth Vader was also confirmed to be the villain alongside his Inquisitors, including the Grand Inquisitor last seen on screen in Rebels. However, the series wasn't without its problems.
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that initial plans for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series were for Ray Park's Darth Maul to be the main villain and Luke Skywalker to play a more prominent role, but that idea was scrapped when development was stopped in January 2020. Now, one creative executive at Lucasfilm has rejected this report.
LucasFilm Exec Not Taking Any Poodoo
Via Bespin Bulletin, Lucasfilm Creative Executive Pablo Hidalgo posted on his private Twitter account to deny the report of there being initial plans for Ray Park's Darth Maul to return as the villain of Obi-Wan Kenobi in one simple, if vulgar, tweet: "A brown run rises. Bulls--t has been spilled."
This was in response to a Tweet reporting the news as such:
Darth Maul was in the original plans for the ‘OBI-WAN KENOBI’ series with Ray Park originally signed on to return. Maul was cut from the series completely once the creative overhaul happened.
It Was Never True, Even From a Certain Point of View
Ray Park's Darth Maul being the villain of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series made little sense when considering the series canon, since it was established in the spin-off cartoon, Rebels, that Darth Maul hadn't seen Kenobi, let alone knew he was still alive, before Order 66 was enacted by Emperor Palpatine. Not to mention that audiences saw the final clash between the two adversaries, with Obi-Wan emerging as the victor with one clean stroke of his lightsaber.
So, it seems obvious why Pablo Hidalgo, a Lucasfilm Creative Executive, was so blunt about this rumor being false or, as Hidalgo so eloquently put it, "bulls--t."
However, Darth Vader being the villain introduces a new challenge, as it's been confirmed that Darth Vader and Obi-Wan will clash again on screen. But, in their final duel on the Death Star, it was heavily implied that the last time they fought, Anakin still had three functioning limbs. After all, Vader confidently said, "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now, I am the master."
For now, fans will have to accept that, at minimum, this idea was possibly discussed at one point, but quickly thrown out.
Audiences will see how exactly the Dark Lord of the Sith will face his former teacher again when Obi-Wan Kenobi is released on Disney+ on May 25, 2022.
