'Obi-Wan Kenobi': Ewan McGregor Says That A Young Luke Skywalker Is "Very Possible"

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has been in the works for quite a while now. In fact, it was going to be a film at one point. It would have been a standalone film within the A Star Wars Story line of films. However, after Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed at the box office in 2018, Lucasfilm and Disney decided to move away from the standalone film strategy (at least for the time being). It was decided that the project would instead become a miniseries on Disney+, which seems like a smart decision given that The Mandalorian has fared very well on that streaming service as the first live-action Star Wars series.

Fans have long wondered what familiar faces could show up in the Kenobi-focused series. Last December, it was confirmed that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. More recently, we got a cast list that included Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse, the actors who portrayed young Owen and Beru in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Under Disney, Lucasfilm has been firm these last several years on bringing certain actors back in the roles they played previously. Despite this, there was a time when there were rumors abound that McGregor might not be playing Obi-Wan in this project, as he tells The Hollywood Reporter:

"I'd see stuff on social media like, 'They better cast Ewan as Obi-Wan,' and I wasn't able to say anything. But it was pretty humiliating to think that [Disney] might be thinking about casting someone else."

Of course, Ewan McGregor is reprising the role. But there is one familiar character that fans still wonder about in regards to whether or not he may appear in the series. That character is, of course, Luke Skywalker. At the time that the series is said to be set, Luke would be about ten years old. The Hollywood Reporter article continues:

"While principal photography has not yet commenced, McGregor says he 'has done some screen tests with Deborah and other people, and I can see that she is a really, really good director.' Might some of those screen tests be with a young Luke Skywalker? He flashes that famous Ewan McGregor grin. 'That's very possible,' he says. 'I don't know.'"

The addition of the "I don't know" is such an odd answer to give. However, the grin probably suggests that there was a young Luke in the screen tests. Perhaps McGregor was teasing and then pivoted because he was not sure whether or not he was allowed to say anything. Given that Obi-Wan Kenobi's main purpose at the time of the series is to watch over Luke, it would be only natural for a kid Luke to appear, especially if Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are in the series. Whether Luke would appear in far away shots with his face obscured or up close in a meaningful conversation is another question altogether.

Speaking for myself, I would be fine with 10-year-old Luke Skywalker appearing in the series. In fact, I would encourage it, assuming that he would be in just one meaningful scene. It would be a nice sort of "rhyme" to have seen kid Anakin and kid Luke in live-action at similar stages of their lives. My one piece of advice to Lucasfilm and Disney would be to please not use a CGI face again within the show itself. I did not find the CGI face in The Mandalorian to be convincing and would have preferred a recast in that instance. Just rely on a new face. (However, the chaotic side of me would kind of want them to release a clip of kid Luke with current Mark Hamill's face CGI'ed onto him and released as a separate clip just so people can see how bad it looks.)

Written By Steven Shinder

Source(s): The Hollywood Reporter

Syndicated From Culture Slate

Join The Team