WIRE Buzz: Obi-Wan series finds director; Marvel Studios may take TV lead

The new Star Wars series based on Obi-Wan Kenobi is planning to say "hello there" to director Deborah Chow. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chow will serve as director for the series that will return Ewan McGregor to the role of the desert-worn Jedi-in-exile. It is not known whether Chow will direct the entire series (which is said to be six or eight episodes, per THR) or just a portion of it.

Chow is already familiar with the world of Star Wars, as well as with Disney+, the streaming platform where the show will rise. She's directed for The Mandalorian already, which will debut the same day as the platform itself, Nov. 12. She's also directed episodes of American Gods, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, Mr. Robot, and Better Call Saul. 

There is talk today that Marvel Studios may be in control of all Marvel television projects moving forward. While some shows are currently still under the umbrella of Jeph Loeb's Marvel Television, those days may be numbered, especially considering that he is not involved at all in the many Marvel shows that are set for Disney+. 

Variety, who spoke with "multiple industry sources," reports that "the perception throughout the entertainment business is that live-action productions will be mostly if not completely moved away from Marvel Television, headed by veteran exec and producer Jeph Loeb, as [Kevin] Feige’s unit ramps up production on its own Marvel series projects." 

This scuttlebutt comes in the wake of the Hulu Ghost Rider series not going forward. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will soon have its final season, and we've seen the Netflix Marvel shows get cut down one by one. All that's left under Loeb's command right now are Runaways and Cloak & Dagger — there are no potential new shows on the horizon, and neither of those remaining shows directly connect to the MCU. 

The case is quite different with Kevin Feige's seemingly endless roster for Disney+, where all of the shows are set to be firmly MCU-based. There's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Hawyeye, and more. Though previous shows under Loeb claimed that "it's all connected," that has been less and less the case as the seasons have gone by. Feige's roster of shows (all directly under the banner of Marvel Studios) will definitely be all connected, with some shows directly spinning off into the films themselves.

Cloak & Dagger ended a second season last April, and no word has been given regarding its future. Runaways will begin a third season in December. After that, who knows what the future will hold.