Disney+ announces 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' will premiere May 25
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," the newest Disney+ offering set in the ever-expanding "Star Wars" universe, will premiere exclusively on Disney+ May 25.
The date is most appropriate: It's the day George Lucas' original 1977 film "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope," the movie that kicked off the iconic saga, debuted in theaters 45 years ago.
A new poster for the limited series shows Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi Master walking alone in the sand dunes of Tatooine with a lightsaber in hand. With the twin suns of the desert planet setting behind him, he's looking off to his left, possibly to an unseen threat.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" picks up 10 years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith," in which Obi-Wan's Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, turned to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
In the closing moments of the 2005 film, Obi-Wan drops off a newborn Luke Skywalker with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine and promises Yoda that he'll watch over Luke from afar while in exile.
As series director Deborah Chow hinted in a preview video, "It’s not safe. There's Jedi hunters out there."
Hayden Christensen is back as Darth Vader, whom Obi-Wan presumed dead, and the cast includes the likes of "Eternals" star Kumail Nanjiani, Moses Ingram, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.
Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse are reprising their roles as Owen and Beru from the prequel movies.
Disney is the parent company of Lucasfilm as well as ABC News and "Good Morning America."
