'Obi-Wan Kenobi': A guide to the new 'Star Wars' series
'Obi-Wan Kenobi': A guide to the new 'Star Wars' series
'Obi-Wan Kenobi': A guide to the new 'Star Wars' series
LOS ANGELES -
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" -- now that's a name casual "Star Wars" fans haven't heard in a long time. The Jedi master gets his own moment in the suns with a new six-part Disney+ series starring Ewan McGregor.
It's set halfway between George Lucas' two trilogies: 10 years after "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," which marked McGregor's last appearance as the character, and nine years before the late Alec Guinness made his hooded, howling entrance as Ben Kenobi in "Episode IV: A New Hope."
McGregor said he always kept the venerated Guinness in mind during production. He listened to Guinness' dialogue on a sound file in his dressing room and took more time after scenes were filmed "just to do a little extra Alec Guinness-y take -- just to make sure.
"It's got to feel like him. I studied him in that movie," the 51-year-old actor said. "I've always got to be somebody who ends up becoming Alec Guinness at the end of the day."
A Kenobi project featuring McGregor has been in development for years, originally as a film with Stephen Daldry attached to direct. That was tossed in the scrap heap after the relatively meagre box office returns of 2018's "Solo: A Star Wars Story." With the launch of Disney+ the next year, Lucasfilm pinned its hopes on a streaming series. (Kenobi was also featured in the animated series "The Clone Wars," which ran for seven seasons and is now on Disney+.)
Filming took place last year primarily on Industrial Light & Magic's technologically innovative Los Angeles-area soundstages, where massive LED screens create virtual worlds that surround performers.
As with the hit "The Mandalorian," also filmed there, producers have kept most details cloaked in secrecy. But here's what to look for as the first two episodes premiere Friday:
WHAT'S KENOBI UP TO?
"I will take the child and watch over him." That was Kenobi's plan for Luke Skywalker at the conclusion of 2005's "Revenge of the Sith." Luke and Leia's mother died just after their birth, and Jimmy Smits' regal Bail Organa adopted Leia. Kenobi brought Luke to live with family on Tatooine, and that's where the new series begins. Trailers show Kenobi on the desert planet with binoculars, 10-year-old Skywalker in sight. The kid seems alright -- for now. But be ready to pack up that starfighter. The series introduces a new planet to the galaxy: Daiyu, with a glowing urban Hong Kong-like setting perfect for rooftop blaster shootouts.
WHICH VERSION OF KENOBI IS THIS?
"You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!" Kenobi ended "Episode III" failing to sway his padawan away from the dark side -- then slicing off Anakin's limbs and leaving him in flames. He's torn with anguish and regret, even before he knows Anakin became Darth Vader. But "Episode IV" finds Kenobi chill, in control, Zen. That mindset shift is key to "Kenobi," said director Deborah Chow: "How did he go from the banks of Mustafar to the calm of Sir Alec Guinness? Something obviously happened there, between those 20 years. So for us, in large part, that was why we felt we actually had a story to tell."
WHO IS ON THE DARK SIDE?
Trailers establish Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, played by Rupert Friend, Sung Kang and Moses Ingram, as the key antagonists. But don't forget Vader. Chow wanted to include the black-suited villain to up the stakes for Kenobi. "Emotionally, so much of the weight that he's carrying is coming primarily from what happened with Anakin. So everything kind of kept leading us back to that," she said.
WHITHER VADER?
A lightsaber duel rematch seems fated. It's unclear whose voice audiences will hear, but Hayden Christensen again dons the black helmet for the role. "That costume comes with such a presence," he said. "You put it on and it just informs so much the way you feel. And for me, it was very sort of cathartic in a way too just because this is a character that has meant a lot to me and has sort of stayed with me over the years -- and getting to come back and continue with it was an emotional experience."
WHO ELSE IS AROUND?
Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse reprise their roles from the prequels as Owen and Beru Lars, Luke's aunt and uncle. Expect other established characters to make as-yet-unannounced appearances in either the main story or through flashbacks, used heavily in the other live action "Star Wars" series. Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano, starring in her own upcoming series, will almost certainly drop in. Could we see a "Force ghost" version of Kenobi's teacher Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson? A young Leia with Smits' Organa? Chewbacca or Darth Maul? They'll soon reveal themselves to viewers.
------
AP writer Cristina Jaleru in London contributed to this report
The campaign for Patrick Brown said it was consulting its legal team after the leadership election organizing committee of the federal Conservatives voted to disqualify him from the race late Tuesday.
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.
The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the 'Freedom Convoy,' after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
A man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder after firing off more than 70 rounds at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including the high-powered rifle used in the shooting, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Canada became the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
The Canadian soldier who recently led a protest march to Ottawa is now facing a court martial for having spoken out against the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine requirements while wearing his uniform.
The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the 'Freedom Convoy,' after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
Two Saanich, B.C., police officers remain in hospital Tuesday, including one in intensive care, a week after six officers were injured and two suspects were killed in a brazen bank robbery and gunfight near Victoria.
The father of the Edmonton girl who was missing for nine days said he was getting ready to post another update on Facebook last Saturday when police knocked on his door.
A man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder after firing off more than 70 rounds at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including the high-powered rifle used in the shooting, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
After more than four months of ferocious fighting, Russia claimed a key victory: full control over one of the two provinces in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland.
Hackers claim to have obtained a trove of data on 1 billion Chinese from a Shanghai police database in a leak that, if confirmed, could be one of the largest data breaches in history.
Simple advice from a friend to stay near the door may have saved Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás from the deadly fate that befell 53 other migrants when they were abandoned trapped in a sweltering semi-trailer last week on the edge of San Antonio. The 20-year-old from Guatemala's capital said it was already hot on June 27 when she stepped out of the warehouse on the Texas side of the Mexico border where she had been waiting and climbed into the back of the trailer.
Canada became the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has released further details about what will and won’t be allowed under its revised dress code expected to be enforced starting this fall.
A Riverview, N.B., woman has written her MLA and Health Minister Dorothy Shephard in hopes of having her voice heard over wait times to see specialists.
A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again.
An enormous waterlily in London's Royal Botanic Gardens has been discovered to belong to an entirely new species, after 177 years in the gardens' herbarium.
Twitter on Tuesday challenged the Indian government in court over its recent orders to take down some content on the social media platform, media outlets reported.
Amber Heard's lawyers have asked a judge to throw out the US$10.35 million verdict against her in the defamation case filed by ex-husband Johnny Depp, arguing that the verdict was not supported by the evidence and that one of the jurors may not have been properly vetted by the court.
Movie theatres across the world were flocked with young fans dressed in suits and carrying bananas partaking in the latest TikTok trend to watch the film 'Minions: The Rise of Gru.'
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Even though it may seem years away, saving for retirement is a top priority among 26 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34, a recent survey from the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan found. However, 79 per cent of respondents in that age group say saving for retirement is prohibitively expensive.
Travellers might not have any control over long lines and cancelled flights, but there are ways to minimize luggage disasters. From tracking devices for your luggage to packing light, here are some tips and tricks for your next trip through the airport.
A vampire-slaying kit once owned by a British aristocrat sparked an international bidding war before selling for six times its estimated price, according to Hansons Auctioneers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have promoted Hayley Wickenheiser, Ryan Hardy and Darryl Metcalf to assistant general manager and hired Curtis Sanford as a goaltending coach.
Jessica Campbell broke a professional hockey barrier for women as the first female assistant coach in the American Hockey League. The 30-year-old from Rocanville, Sask., was named to the Coachella Valley Firebirds coaching staff Tuesday.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has said he supports the cause of environmentalist group Just Stop Oil, but not some of its methods after group members invaded the track during the British Grand Prix.
A Vancouver Island real estate agent has lost his bid to recover a deposit he made on a new Ford Mustang that he intended to offer as a prize in a year-long contest in 2020.
Tesla's sales from April through June fell to their lowest quarterly level since last fall as supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions in China hobbled production of its electric vehicles.
