Star Wars veteran Ewan McGregor confirms that, despite persistent rumors, he isn’t in talks to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
He portrayed the Jedi from 1999 to 2005 in George Lucas’ divisive trilogy, but unlike some of his co-stars, McGregor has remained popular with fans, who continue to speculate about his potential return in a solo movie.
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Appearing on The View recently to promote Disney’s Christopher Robin, the actor addressed the long-running rumors, saying, “There’s no plans as such to do it, as far as I know.” That said, McGregor confirmed that, if asked, “I would totally do it, of course.”
Obi-Wan went into self-imposed exile following the events of Revenge of the Sith, leaving a nearly two-decade gap to explore before his reemergence in A New Hope, where he was played by Alec Guinness.
McGregor suggested that, even if he doesn’t return to the role, someone should still tell the story of the Jedi’s missing years. “There must be a good story to tell, as they’re doing spinoffs,” he said. “There’s likely to be a good Obi-Wan between me and Alec Guinness in that time.”
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News of a possible Obi-Wan anthology movie has circled since before the announcement of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but McGregor’s latest comments are likely to be a blow to fans of the character. Although the latest rumor suggested Obi-Wan is being touted for Disney’s upcoming streaming service, that appears unlikely.
The box-office disappointment of Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story led to reports that Disney is halting production on all its anthology movies to focus on the likes of Star Wars: Episode IX and Jon Favreau’s live-action TV series. However, Lucasfilm sources have since confirmed that multiple spinoffs are still in development.
(via IGN)