There's no denying that Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most anticipated Star Wars projects this year but putting the project together was no walk in the park. In case you weren't aware, the show was supposed to kickstart production in January 2020, long before COVID-19 officially became a global pandemic. Turns out, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was actually responsible for shutting down the production and she had a valid reason for doing so.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly to talk about the show's behind-the-scenes development, Kennedy revealed that she had issues with the project's creative direction. According to her, Obi-Wan Kenobi is meant to be "uplifting" but the mental place the character is coming from was a huge challenge for them.
Kennedy explains: "We're looking, ultimately, to make a hopeful, uplifting story. And it's tricky when you're starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of Revenge of the Sith. That's a pretty bleak period of time. You can't just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel."
Also Read: Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Releases First Image of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader
It looks like the Ewan McGregor-led series underwent several creative changes to fit the narrative Lucasfilm was going for and I totally get where the concern stems from. I have faith that they crafted something truly remarkable and I'm definitely excited to see Obi-Wan renew his hope for the galaxy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi begins streaming on May 25th, exclusively on Disney+.
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