Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Series Finds Director (Exclusive)
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 1:46PM by Borys Kit
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Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi (Inset: Deborah Chow) | Twentieth Century Fox/Photofest; Rachel Luna/Getty
Deborah Chow has helmed several episodes of the 'Star Wars' spinoff series 'The Mandalorian' ahead of its Disney+ bow Nov. 12.
This is the director Obi-Wan has been looking for. Deborah Chow, who directed episodes of the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, is returning to the far-away galaxy and will helm the series featuring the popular character Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Ewan McGregor is returning as the Jedi Master for the series Lucasfilm is making for Disney+, the stand-alone $7 streaming service that the company is set to launch Nov. 12.
Chow has proved herself in the elevated genre space in cable series. In addition to two episodes of The Mandalorian, she has directed and worked on shows such as American Gods, Better Call Saul, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, Reign and Mr. Robot. Chow is repped by WME and Schreck Rose.
"We really wanted to select a director who is able to explore both the quiet determination and rich mystique of Obi-Wan in a way that folds seamlessly into the Star Wars saga," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Friday in a statement. "Based on her phenomenal work developing our characters in The Mandalorian, I’m absolutely confident Deborah is the right director to tell this story."
The Disney+ series, to be written by Hossein Amini, centers on Kenobi, one of the central figures in the Star Wars mythos. In the original 1977 movie, he is a desert-dwelling, war-weary hermit who later proves to be a wise and powerful warrior. Kenobi briefly mentors a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine before being cut down by Darth Vader, his former pupil.
In the George Lucas-directed prequels, Kenobi fought alongside the young Jedi who would eventually become Vader and betray him and the Jedi Order. The live-action character was last seen in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, back on the desert planet Tatooine.
McGregor’s Kenobi series is the third live-action series on the Disney+ docket. The Mandalorian is central to the launch of the streaming service, which is also developing a Rogue One prequel amongst its Star Wars offering. The latter is an as-yet untitled series featuring Rebel Alliance officer Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising the role.
A Kenobi stand-alone project had been set up as a feature, with Stephen Daldry directing, in 2017. But Disney switched gears on its plans for the Star Wars franchise after the relatively underwhelming box office response to the Han Solo spinoff Solo, which grossed $392 million worldwide that year.
Sept. 27, 2:42 p.m. Updated with Kennedy's statement and Amini's writing credits after Lucasfilm officially confirmed THR's reporting.
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