Appropriately given the character, Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi show spent a long time in hiding. Originally announced at the 2019 D23 Expo, the series was supposed to be a jewel in the platform’s 2020 crown. Unfortunately, though, mere days before the cameras were set to roll in January, Lucasfilm slammed the brakes on, citing script problems.
Now, the show has been reworked from the ground up and is about to begin shooting. McGregor has been busy prepping for it, too, a process that involves carefully growing out that iconic Kenobi beard. The actor celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday, which his fans marked by posting a recent video of him unicycling down the road. Aside from potentially giving Kathleen Kennedy a heart attack by seeing the star of one of Lucasfilm’s biggest shows risking injury, the video also revealed his facial fur.
#EwanMcGregor is unicycling into his 50th birthday. This is why we love him so.
And yes, we finally get to see the #ObiWanKenobi beard. 👀 #BeardWatch
Thanks to his daughter Clara McGregor on Instagram 📸https://t.co/FVy1xzSJyH pic.twitter.com/2L4Wu4x0xf
— Ewan McGregor Daily (@EwanDaily) March 30, 2021
Of course, the big draws in Obi-Wan Kenobi are McGregor and the much-anticipated return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, but the show also recently unveiled a seriously impressive supporting cast. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse are reprising their roles as Luke’s Uncle Lars and Aunt Beru from Revenge of the Sith, and will be joined by Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit), Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Rupert Friend (Homeland), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Sung Kang (Fast & Furious), Simone Kessell (Reckoning) and Benny Safdie (Pieces of a Woman).
The Mandalorian and Mr. Robot director Deborah Chow will helm all six episodes, with Army of the Dead‘s Joby Harold on board as head writer and executive producer. The shoot has been confirmed to take place in L.A. and California, meaning it’s possible that it may return to Death Valley to film some Tatooine scenes on location. If so, they’d be following in the footsteps of George Lucas when he shot parts of A New Hope and Return of the Jedi there. Let’s hope we get some Obi-Wan Kenobi set pics soon.