Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars series to shoot in spring 2021 and will most likely tell a 'standalone' story

Ewan McGregor's return to the Star Wars universe is (possibly) just around the corner.

During a chat with Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, the actor let slip that the live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi series coming to Disney+ plans to kick off production in the spring of 2021. "I'm really excited about it. It's gonna be great, I think," said McGregor, who played Anakin Skywalker's Jedi mentor in the prequel trilogy. Of course, we shouldn't put a ton of stock in tentative start dates just yet, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to mess with film and TV schedules left, right, and center.

Nevertheless, this is our first big update on the project since production halted in late January — not due to the health crisis — but because Lucasfilm wanted to tweak the scripts (screenwriter Joby Harold was eventually tapped to replace Hossein Amini). Once news broke of trouble behind-the-scenes , McGregor assured fans that things were "not as really dramatic" as they seemed. He also wagered a guess that shooting would begin in early 2021. That was obviously delayed to the spring, most likely to COVID-19, which we may or may not have the beginnings of a vaccine for when the new year begins.

Whenever the Obi-Wan show can get off the ground, though, it's expected that the story will revolve around the Jedi Knight's self-imposed exile on Tatooine following the events of Revenge of the Sith. In his discussion with Entertainment Tonight, McGregor admitted that the plan right now is to make "a standalone season," following that up with, "we'll see. Who knows?" Whether or not we get multiple seasons or just one epic limited series remains to be seen.

After seeing the wild success of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian, McGregor said in July that he thinks shooting the TV is going to be more enjoyable than shooting the prequel films. The upcoming series is just one part of Disney's big push to expand the Star Wars universe via its subscription streaming service. Season 2 of The Mandalorian premieres in late October, with a third season already green-lit. In addition, an animated follow-up to The Clone Wars, The Batch Batch, is on the way from executive producer Dave Filoni. Lastly, Russian Doll co-creator/producer Leslye Headland is working on a female-centric program set in the galaxy far, far away.

On the film side of the galaxy, Marvel's Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) is directing a new Star Wars feature that he's co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Last Night in Soho).