In these negotiations, Ewan McGregor obviously has the high ground.
Deadline is confirming reports that actor Ewan McGregor is in talks to reprise his Star Wars character Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi in a new, untitled TV series for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service. This will be the third live-action Star Wars series on Disney+, after The Mandalorian and a still-untitled series starring Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, reprising their Rogue One: A Star Wars Story characters Cassian Andor and K-2SO.
According to the article, plans for a Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff film changed into the current plan for a big-budget TV series, similar to how the planned Boba Fett spinoff film turned into the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. The original film plan was to release Kenobi: A Star Wars Story as part of the anthology film series that included Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Stephen Daldry was slated to direct, and according to TMZ, the film reportedly would have taken place a few years after the fall of the Republic shown in Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, with marauding Tusken Raiders and an evil warlord bringing Obi-Wan out of hiding to protect Luke Skywalker and some farmers on the planet Tatooine.
McGregor, 48, is a Scottish actor who previously played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the films Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. He'll be playing the villain Black Mask in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), while his other films include Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting, Doctor Sleep, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Christopher Robin, Mortdecai, Angels & Demons, Robots, Big Fish, Black Hawk Down, Moulin Rouge!, Emma, and Shallow Grave. His television appearances include episodes of Fargo, ER, and Tales from the Crypt.
McGregor is the second actor to portray Obi-Wan Kenobi, after Sir Alec Guinness in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The character also appeared in the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), and Star Wars Rebels (voiced by Stephen Stanton).