'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
G7 leaders opened their summit Sunday with a discussion about shaping the global economy at a time when conflict and unrest are driving up prices and access to key goods around the world.
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital early Sunday, striking at least two residential buildings, the mayor of Kyiv said, as elsewhere Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains in the country's east.
The latest on the G7 summit: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are having 'a profound impact.'
New research looking at the frequency of heavy rainfall across the globe shows that a drastic increase in downpours is expected over the years to come.
Cat and dog owners who cuddle their pets when infected with COVID-19 could end up making the animals sick with the virus, according to a Canadian study.
The higher parts of Angelique Beauchemin's land, she said, are sinking an inch or two a year as they slope ever more steeply toward the river. While she's not a scientist, she says her biggest fear is that one day there will be a landslide and the white house at the top of the hill where she's lived for decades will tumble down.
Hundreds of protesters descended on the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday to denounce the justice's decision to overturn the half-century-old Roe v. Wade precedent that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion.
The federal public safety minister says he is 'deeply committed' to enhancing oversight of the RCMP by strengthening the role of the national police force's management advisory board.
The higher parts of Angelique Beauchemin's land, she said, are sinking an inch or two a year as they slope ever more steeply toward the river. While she's not a scientist, she says her biggest fear is that one day there will be a landslide and the white house at the top of the hill where she's lived for decades will tumble down.
The final bell is about to ring at the end of a topsy-turvy school year warped by the COVID-19 crisis and students are reflecting on how the pandemic shaped things.
The federal public safety minister says he is 'deeply committed' to enhancing oversight of the RCMP by strengthening the role of the national police force's management advisory board.
A barge that ran aground near Vancouver's English Bay last year quickly became an accidental attraction, drawing selfie-seekers and inspiring T-shirt designs. But after seven months, residents seem to have grown weary of its hulking presence on the shoreline.
As gas prices and food costs continue to escalate and another interest rate hike is expected next month, many Canadians are wondering if a recession is coming and how to prepare for a possible economic downturn.
Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital early Sunday, striking at least two residential buildings, the mayor of Kyiv said, as elsewhere Russian troops fought to consolidate their gains in the country's east.
The latest on the G7 summit: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are having 'a profound impact.'
G7 leaders opened their summit Sunday with a discussion about shaping the global economy at a time when conflict and unrest are driving up prices and access to key goods around the world.
Republicans are heading into a November midterm election that is poised to swiftly become a referendum on the court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as voters decide which party should control Congress
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, CTVNews.ca breaks down what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.
The federal public safety minister says he is 'deeply committed' to enhancing oversight of the RCMP by strengthening the role of the national police force's management advisory board.
Tanya Ball began her career as a social worker for the Kaska Dene First Nation. Now she runs a land guardian program, working to monitor and protect a vast stretch of the band's northern British Columbia wilderness.
New research has found that women are 'significantly' more likely than men to suffer from long COVID syndrome, in addition to developing different symptoms of the disease.
The Ontario Brain Institute is playing a key role in open science and brain health research with the release of new clinical data that will help scientists around the world advance investigations into pediatric neurological conditions.
German lawmakers voted Friday to end the country's ban on advertising abortions, which has in the past led to doctors being prosecuted for providing information about the procedure to potential patients.
Coinciding with unrelenting cyberattacks against Ukraine, state-backed Russian hackers have engaged in "strategic espionage" against governments, think tanks, businesses and aid groups in 42 countries supporting Kyiv, Microsoft said in a report Wednesday.
NASA's first spacecraft designed to study a metallic asteroid won't be launching this year as planned, according to an announcement made by the agency on Friday.
Paul McCartney was joined by special guests Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl in an epic performance at Glastonbury on Saturday night that spanned the first Beatles demo to some of his latest recordings.
Thanks to high gas prices, staggering inflation and other ripples of the pandemic, few corners of the live music industry have gone untouched by financial woes.
Phoebe Bridgers vented her frustration at America's high court during her Glastonbury Festival set on Friday night after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Statistics Canada says the number of job vacancies at the beginning of April hit just over one million, up more than 40 per cent compared with a year earlier.
Despite record low levels of unemployment, many sectors are suffering from labour shortages in the second quarter with restaurants and hotels continuing to be amongst the worst hit, a new Statistics Canada survey finds.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, corporate giants from a range of industries pledged to provide support and financial assistance for employees — and, in some cases, their dependents — seeking abortions in states that outlaw the procedure.
A new painting of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was revealed to the public on Thursday. The painting – the first official portrait of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, together – is on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, U.K.
Mounties in Coquitlam are appealing to the public for help tracking down two pieces of artwork that were allegedly stolen from a high school art display.
Canadians Bennedict Mathurin and Shaedon Sharpe took very different paths to the NBA, but their pro dreams were realized just minutes apart on Thursday.
Toyota is recalling 2,700 bZ4X crossover vehicles globally for wheel bolts that could become loose, in a major setback for the Japanese automaker's ambitions to roll out electric cars.
Two people involved in testing for the electric car brand NIO died when one of its vehicles fell three stories from a Shanghai parking structure, the company said Friday.
