Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Series Put On Hold As Lucasfilm Reworks Script

UPDATE: Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor addressed the show being put on hold and confirmed to Variety that the Disney+ series will start shooting next year. “I think we start shooting early next year as opposed to summer this year,” McGregor said during an interview at the red carpet premiere of Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). “I think the scripts are great. They’re in really good shape. They want them to be better. I think we keep our same airdate. All good,” the actor added. McGregor also assured fans that the script change is “not as dramatic” as people are believing it to be. “I didn’t realize until we got here tonight and everybody is going, ‘Oh, my god!'” McGregor said. “But it’s not really as dramatic as it might seem.”

ORIGINAL STORY: We have a bad feeling about this. Rumors started circulating last week that the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+ was stalled for some reason. It turns out that the rumors are true. The show apparently shut down production at Pinewood studios due to Lucasfilm not liking the script.

According to Collider, the Obi-Wan series isn’t canceled but briefly paused as the studio works on the script. The Pinewood Studios crew were also sent home and told that the series is on “indefinite” hold. But at least there’s still good news amid this troubling development—Ewan McGregor remains attached to the role (why wouldn’t he be?) as well as Deborah Chow in the director’s chair.

Sources say that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy wasn’t pleased with how the script from Drive writer Hossein Amini turned out. Production is scheduled to begin this year, but it looks like things will be delayed as Lucasfilm finds ways to rework the script. The studio will most likely go back to production this summer. Kennedy’s doubts seem warranted as Disney+’s The Mandalorian set the bar high for upcoming Star Wars shows on the streaming service. And given the pressure to keep up with that kind of storytelling, it makes sense for Kennedy to order a more polished script for the show to maintain the subtle continuity that was established on Disney+.

The Obi-Wan series announcement was a long time coming. The character initially had a movie in development with Stephen Daldry tapped to direct. After a long time in development, Lucasfilm decided to ditch the movie idea and expand Obi-Wan Kenobi’s story through a series, which, in all fairness, seems a bit more appropriate rather than a two-hour movie.

The show’s screeching halt also comes after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker got lukewarm (no pun intended) reception from both casual fans and diehards. Criticism is very divided on the film, with some calling it a rushed ending and others praising J.J. Abrams for taking the franchise to new heights.

In any case, we’re all still hoping that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi gets the story he so fittingly deserves.