Obi-Wan: Ewan McGregor Confirms That Disney+ Series Was Originally Planned As A Movie

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars series, which is set to begin filming in 2020 was originally planned as a film before ultimately morphing into a TV show for upcoming streaming service Disney+.

Speaking to comingsoon.net during the press junket for Doctor Sleep, Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor confirmed that the original plan was to produce a single Obi-Wan film. "It wasn’t always going to be a series, not initially," he said, confirming that there was some validity to the years of rumors of an Obi-Wan film being planned. But McGregor seems glad that things ended up the way they did: "I’m really into the idea to be able to tell the story over several hours instead of just one hit. I think it’s going to be quite cool."

Rumors of McGregor's return to the role have been swirling for years. But back in August 2018, a few months after Solo disappointed at the box office, McGregor stated that there were no current plans to make an Obi-Wan film despite the actor's interest in reprising the role. The arrival of Disney+, which will also play host to Star Wars bounty hunter spin-off The Mandalorian--which debuts on November 12-- has evidently made Disney reconsider.

Obi-Wan will be a six-episode series, set eight years after Revenge of the Sith. It will cover a period of time where the Jedi master was in exile, well before Luke Skywalker discovered his destiny and took to the stars.

The series will be directed by Deborah Chow, who has also directed two episodes of The Mandalorian. It's unclear as of yet whether the Obi-Wan series will be limited or continue beyond those initial six episodes.