Robust quarterly financials and greater-than-anticipated streaming subscribers weren’t the only major highlights of Disney’s earnings report and follow-up call on Wednesday (Feb. 9), as new details about the eagerly awaited live-action “Obi-Wan Kenobi” spinoff series on Disney Plus were revealed.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek unveiled official news that the premiere date of May 25 is penciled in for the original show chronicling the Jedi master’s years in exile on Tatooine watching over Luke Skywalker and hiding out from Jedi hunters, 10 years after the events depicted in 2005’s “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
With the seventh episode and season finale of “The Book of Boba Fett” airing this week, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will step up into the limelight as the next flagship Star Wars series until “The Mandalorian” Season 3 lands, hopefully sometime in December.
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May 25 of this year represents a special date in the “Star Wars” universe as it marks the 45th anniversary of the debut of “Star Wars: A New Hope” back in 1977.
Although no exact plot descriptions for the new show have been announced yet, it’s no secret that Ewan McGregor will return to the role of Obi-Wan, with Hayden Christensen reprising his portrayal of the evil iron-lunged Sith, Darth Vader.
Co-starring in “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will be Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie. Deborah Chow will direct the series and also serve as an executive producer with Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Ewan McGregor, and Joby Harold.
Disney-owned Marvel Comics won’t be left out of the occasion, as a five-issue “Obi-Wan” companion comic book miniseries set for a May release is in the works courtesy of writer Christopher Cantwell (“Iron Man,” “Halt and Catch Fire”) with art by Ario Anindito (“Star Wars: The High Republic”). This limited run will focus on pivotal moments in the warrior’s lifetime.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” arrives on Disney Plus on May 25, 2022.