Something is rotten in the state of Lucasfilm. Over the last week, we’ve heard rumblings from various sources that the Obi-Wan Disney Plus show was in trouble. Reasons for this ranged from problems with the script, Ewan McGregor’s availability and even the Australian bushfires affecting the location shoot. But whatever the true reason proves to be, the hammer fell yesterday with The Hollywood Reporter saying that the show is currently on indefinite hiatus and the episode count has been cut from six to four.
Now, there’s talk that the series may end up as a movie after all. Jordan Maison of Cinelinx tweeted that:
“Welp, since I’ve had more than two (separate) people tell me, I can share a tidbit. Seems like they were (or are, hard to say right now) considering shifting it back to a MOVIE instead of a show. The lower episode count would mean they’ve certainly trimmed elements down.”
Make up your minds Lucasfilm. Those who’ve been following the project will know that it started life as Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story. Plans for a series of movies exploring individual characters in the Star Wars universe hit the skids after the failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story though and the most promising were reconfigured as TV shows. So, plans for a Boba Fett film ended up as The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan became a Disney Plus series.
Honestly, at this point, I don’t care if Obi-Wan turns out to be a theatrical release, a Disney Plus exclusive movie or a miniseries, I just want to see it. Rumor has it that the main stumbling block is Kathleen Kennedy’s dislike of the scripts. But considering that she was happy to sign off (and purportedly interfere with) the dreadful Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, perhaps it’s time to cancel her and not Obi-Wan.
