Disney’s Next Big ‘Star Wars’ Story Could Bring Back One of Its Most Legendary Characters

Published Aug 12, 2026, 6:57 PM EDT Michael Hein has been covering entertainment, fandom news, and trending topics since 2016 on outlets including Rogues Portal, PopCulture.com, and ComicBook.com. He has provided live coverage of red carpet premieres, conventions, and up-fronts, and has interviewed major stars including Charles Dance, Patrick Stewart, and Chloe Sevigny. An avid fiction reader and writer, Michael has been diving deep into all the biggest book-to-screen adaptations of the last decade, from Game of Thrones to Foundation. The future of the Star Wars franchise is a little uncertain right now, but it may involve more Obi-Wan Kenobi, if Ewan McGregor has anything to say about it. In an interview with Esquire last week, McGregor said that there is more to the Jedi's story left to tell, and he hopes he'll get a chance to reprise the role. McGregor is not wrong, though this might not be the best time for Star Wars to lean on legacy characters and look backwards in its timeline. On the other hand, the struggling franchise might want revive this relatively successful series, since other avenues are drying up. There's also the chance for Obi-Wan's story to continue in a different format, or perhaps in another title on the slate. "There’s 10 years of something happening to Obi-Wan," McGregor pointed out. The actor said he'd be happy to tackle any part of the Jedi's story between the end of his Disney+ series and the start of A New Hope, when the character was played by Alec Guinness. He was eager for the interview to drum up some interest, saying that "nothing's really moving on that front," and appealing directly to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro through the camera. An Obi-Wan Kenobi revival is not the worst path forward for Star Wars, though a more synergistic approach might do better. What Would 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Season 2 Be About? Image via Lucasfilm Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the most anticipated additions to the Star Wars canon when it debuted in 2022, yet the story itself still managed to surprise fans. It turned out to be a lot more high-stakes than many expected, and more significant to the larger story of the Skywalker Saga. It recontextualized moments from the original films without completely contradicting anything, which is a fine line to walk for any franchise, let alone one this revered. Pulling that trick off again might be too tall an order. As far as fans know Kenobi spent the next decade living in isolation in the dessert of Tattooine, both hiding out from imperial forces and honing his mastery of The Force. There are comic books and novels that tell stories of this time in Kenobi's life, but Disney has shied away from adapting these works so far, and has largely removed them from the official canon. This choice has had a lot of downsides, but at this point, adapting other works for a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi is unlikely to bring the success Disney and McGregor are looking for. That said, if Disney did want to adapt and expand on material from other sources, there's one clear entry point ahead of them. A 2017 episode of the animated series Star Wars Rebels depicted a reunion between Kenobi and Darth Maul during this time, and it is still considered canon. Tackling this story from a different angle might be a good starting point for the second season McGregor wants. It would capitalize on the success of both his show and the more recent Maul — Shadow Lord. McGregor made a guest appearance on Maul — Shadow Lord, which is animated in a similar style to Rebels. A second season of the series is now in development, but there's still no guarantee it will be greenlit. The series is set shortly after the Clone Wars, years before Kenobi and Maul met in Rebels, but these two characters have enough history between them to carry another storyline. Whether a more substantial voice-over role would satisfy McGregor is another question. Should Kenobi Return to the Big Screen? Image via Disney+ Disney has no other Star Wars TV shows on the slate right now, and they may be trying to scale back Star Wars releases in general to avoid "franchise fatigue." Confidence in this pop culture behemoth was definitely shaken earlier this year when The Mandalorian and Grogu gave a lackluster performance at the box office. Many saw this lovable duo as a guaranteed hit, and if they're not, then Star Wars isn't necessarily a safe bet. Critics and fans have been saying for years that Star Wars needs to stop returning to the well for nostalgia and start pushing its stories forward with new characters on new segments of its timeline. That would seem to preclude McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan, and yet the success of his spinoff series and his earnest desire to reprise the role are intriguing. Disney may find a more fitting place for him in the slate of upcoming movies, which is much more mysterious than its current TV plans. There are at least five Star Wars films in development right now, though we should assume there are more. We already know some of their settings on the timeline, so we know that a return to Obi-Wan on Tatooine is impossible. However, there could be room for Kenobi in the untitled film in development by Taika Waititi and Tony McNamara, since its plot and setting have been kept a mystery. There's also the potential Lando Calrissian spinoff film, which could be set during Kenobi's exile. Finally, there's the mysterious trilogy of films in development by Simon Kinberg, though these are most likely to be set after the events of the Skywalker Saga. Whatever Disney and Lucasfilms' plans are, the studios should not ignore a star like McGregor willing to reprise his iconic role. Obi-Wan Kenobi proved that not all prequels and throwbacks need to be mired in nostalgia, and McGregor is clearly interested in telling another good story. Release Date 2022 - 2022-00-00 Network Disney+ Showrunner Joby Harold Cast Vivien Lyra Blair Leia Organa