Filming on the Obi-Wan focused TV show for Disney Plus has been delayed from this August to early 2021, according to actor Ewan McGregor. This clarification came after a report on Collider said that pre-production crew at London's Pinewood Studios had been sent home, with the production put on hold "indefinitely".
THR then followed up with a story that mentioned there were issues with the scripts, and that a new writer was being sought for the project. The number of episodes, too, had reportedly been cut from six episodes to four. All of that sounds pretty bleak, but McGregor himself seems confident that the release date won't be affected. And he's very positive about the scripts he's read so far.
"It's just slid to next year, that's all," the actor told IGN. "The scripts were really good. I think now that Episode IX came out and everyone at Lucasfilm's got more time to spend on the writing, they felt like they wanted more time to spend on the writing." McGregor said. "Instead of shooting this August, they just want to start shooting in January, that's all. Nothing more dramatic than that."
"It will have the same release date, I don't think it will affect the release date."
THR notes that one of its sources compared the Obi-Wan show to The Mandalorian, with Obi-Wan protecting a younger Luke Skywalker, with the possibility of a Princess Leia appearance as well. It was previously revealed that Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini and The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow were working on Obi-Wan.
Separately, McGregor told Gamespot that rumors of creative differences are "bullshit", and that none of it is true.
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What next?
It's hard to know what to make of all of this. McGregor's enthusiasm for the material seems really positive, and a bit of extra attention to the story can't hurt, especially after the mixed response to The Rise of Skywalker. The Mandalorian showed that Star Wars can be thrilling on the small screen when it's done right, and it feels like any step back into prequel territory needs to be approached carefully.
Either way, it sounds like we won't see anything on this show until late 2021 at the earliest.
The thing we want to know is this: will this spin-off feature a grudge match lightsaber battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul? We know Maul is still alive as of the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and that feels like it could be a thrilling climax to a show like this.
