We've got a good feeling about this: Ewan McGregor in talks to return as Obi-Wan for Disney+ series

Hello there! Deadline has confirmed that Ewan McGregor will take the high ground and reprise his iconic role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in a currently unnamed live-action Star Wars series for Disney+. However, some outlets, like The Hollywood Reporter, are hedging the odds (never tell us those!) a bit more, stating that McGregor is simply "in talks" rather than fully locked in. Just the same, we've got a very good feeling about this.

If confirmed (SYFY WIRE has reached out to Disney for clarification), the news would be incredibly promising. Not that we know about the show's setting at this point, but fans have been clamoring for a project that centers around Obi-Wan's self-imposed exile on Tatooine after the events of the prequels (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith). Since McGregor, 48, is still at the right age where he can believably play a middle-aged Ben Kenobi, the timing could be perfect.

Moreover, such casting hints that some of Lucasfilm's plans for spinoff films could be turned into TV series instead. Remember that not too long ago, Kenobi was slated to get his own movie with Stephen Daldry (The Crown) in the director's chair. Maybe this means we'll see those Mos Eisley cantina and Boba Fett concepts after all!

Not many details are known about the project at this time, but it marks the third Star Wars show in development at Disney+ after The Mandalorian and the untitled Cassian Andor project. The Mandalorian will launch with the streaming platform on Tuesday, Nov. 12, while the premiere window for Andor (which brings back Diego Luna, who played the titular role in Rogue One) is a little more uncertain.

McGregor last played the part of Kenobi in the 2005's Episode III and closed out the final prequel film by handing a baby Luke Skywalker off to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on their moisture farm. In the original trilogy, Obi-Wan was portrayed by the late, great Alec Guiness, who helps Luke realize his destiny and is killed by his former Padawan, Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones), in Episode IV: A New Hope. During the events of Episode V: Empire Strikes Back, he re-appeared as a Force Ghost on Hoth, telling Luke (Mark Hamill) to find Master Yoda (Frank Oz) on Dagobah. He showed up one last time as a smiling Force Ghost in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, standing beside Anakin and Yoda (also grinning spirits) to signify that the Force is finally in balance once more.

So, what could an entire show following Obi-Wan Kenobi look like? Speculating here, but the possibilities would likely have to be limited to the desert landscape of Tatooine. Of course, that doesn’t mean the former Jedi Knight can’t be portrayed as a grizzled and badass cowboy/gunslinger akin to the Man With No Name or Roland Deschain. Who knows, his failure of Anakin — which led to the death of Padme and the fall of the Galactic Republic — might have driven him into an alcoholic spiral of depression and self-pity. Perhaps he gets some redemption by protecting a small village from bandits, Magnificent Seven-style. If that doesn't work for you, the “From the Journals of Old Ben Kenobi” comics from Marvel already serve as the perfect blueprint for what the character was up to before he saved Luke from the Tusken Raiders in the 1977 film.