This is the event of the day: Disney+ is broadcasting the first two episodes of the mini-series this Friday Obi-Wan Kenobi with Ewan McGregor in the skin of the famous jedi master.
Set ten years after the events recounted in Episode III, Revenge of the Siththis new series tells how Obi-Wan must protect young Luke Skywalker from the dark side of the Force and his father Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
This highly anticipated mini-series must also reconcile fans with the saga after The Boba Fett Book criticized for the inconsistency of its direction and its screenplay. Obi-Wan Kenobiwhich has several tricks up its sleeve, should appeal even more.
Discover the promises of this mini-series, which should make the event throughout the coming weeks.
The return of Ewan McGregor
The actor, whose interpretation of the Jedi master is very popular in the prelogy, once again puts on the Obi-Wan costume seventeen years later. Revenge of the Sith. No new actor to lend his features to the character, as in Soloor synthetic images to rejuvenate it, as in The Mandalorian. Another good point, as the choice of Alden Ehrenreich to play Han Solo had sparked immense debate within the fan community.
Hayden Christensen’s Redemption
Disappeared from the radar after the prelogy, Hayden Christensen returns to the front of the stage. The actor, whose acting in Attack of the Clones et Revenge of the Sith had been heavily criticized, returns as Anakin Skywalker. The opportunity for the actor to redeem himself with the fans: “What a privilege it was to come back to embody him and be part of this project”, he rejoiced in the columns of Total Film.
Especially since Hayden Christensen finally has the opportunity to play Darth Vader, whom he had only been able to play in a sequence of Revenge of the Sith: “My journey in Star Wars, at the time, was really that of the character Anakin Skywalker. But with this series, I had the opportunity to really explore Darth Vader. He’s such a complex character. To finally be able to explore his state of mind and his emotional state, as Darth Vader, has been very cool!”
A new side of Obi-Wan
The series is dark and depicts Obi-Wan as a broken man. Ewan McGregor portrays a character very different from the one we know: “Our starting point is that he was irreparably marked by the experience of Order 66. Because of this, he doubts. I found it interesting to take him to something darker and then see along the way how he regains his faith and becomes the Obi-Wan we all know,” he says in the press kit for the miniseries. .
And Hayden Christensen to add: “The Republic has fallen into the hands of the Empire and Obi-Wan is forced to live in hiding. Darth Vader hunts down the Jedi because they oppose the power in place. In this he obeys the orders from the Emperor, but also makes it a personal matter, due to the inner conflict raging within him. By killing the Jedi, he is trying to kill the part of himself he denies.”
Always the same story
This is one of the negative points of the project: the story takes place between episodes III and IV, and once again tells the story of the Skywalkers, on Tatooine. For fans, it’s also a bit of a disappointment not to be able to discover new aspects of the saga and the universe imagined by George Lucas. But they will be able to (re)discover the Inquisitors, henchmen recruited by the Empire to hunt down and kill all the remaining Jedi, and who have already appeared in the animated series. Star Wars Rebels.
A shock team
The project remains attractive thanks to its technical team. Exit the director of Boba Fett book Roberto Rodriguez, a figure little appreciated by critics. Make way for Deborah Chow, known for her work on the first season of The Mandalorian. She signs the six episodes of the mini-series.
“She has the makings of a great director,” said Ewan McGregor. “Each of her suggestions improves my game, makes it more interesting and more complex. She knows this universe and the characters inside out. She also has a lot of confidence. I have never seen her lose her temper or be stressed. She knows how to lead her teams and make the working atmosphere pleasant.”
Deborah Chow has also teamed up with the talented South Korean cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung, famous for his work on Old Boy, Mademoiselle et That. The script was written by Hossein Amini, the screenwriter of Drive. And John Williams, the saga’s flagship composer, has also agreed to write an original musical theme for Obi-Wan. All the ingredients to make a good series.