Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally a movie trilogy, writer Stuart Beattie has revealed. The project ended up on Disney Plus as a TV show, with Ewan McGregor reprising his role as the titular Jedi Master.
Speaking to The Direct, Beattie said that he penned the film, which was set to be directed by Stephen Daldry, and departed the project after the plan for big-screen Star Wars spin-offs was scrapped following the release of Solo. Joby Harold was hired as the new head writer of the series, and, as Beattie explained, "took my scripts and turned it from two hours into six. So, I did not work with them at all, I just got credit for the episodes because it was all my stuff." Beattie is credited as a writer on the first three episodes of the series, along with the finale.
He also went into more detail about the initial pitch to Lucasfilm. "When I pitched my Obi-Wan story to Lucasfilm, I said, 'There's actually three stories here. Because there's three different evolutions that the character has to make in order to go from Obi-Wan to Ben.' And the first one was the first movie, which was the show, which was, 'Surrender to the will of the Force. Transport your will, surrender your will. Leave the kid alone.'" In the series finale, Obi-Wan lets go of the idea of training Luke Skywalker and fully entrusts him to the care of his Uncle Owen.
Beattie then revealed that the second film would have explored the lead-up to Obi-Wan sacrificing himself aboard the Death Star in A New Hope, with the Jedi having to "come to terms with his own mortality" – potentially with the help of Qui-Gon Jinn. "So, when that moment comes up in [A New Hope], you understand," Beattie said. "He's recognizing he's been on this journey already, and he's waiting for this moment, and that's how he's able to make it so easily. To do this [sacrifice], and die. So that, to me, was the second evolution, the second film, the second story. If I have anything to do with the second season of Obi-Wan, that's the character evolution that I would take him on."
All six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming on Disney Plus now. Read about the chances of an Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 through the link, and find out what's next for the galaxy far, far away with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
