Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: Obi Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian

Ewan McGregor on The Mandalorian Stealing Obi-Wan's Disney+ Thunder

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor on how Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian might have impacted his show's potential success.

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor found out there's a bigger Force among Star Wars fans than his series, character, rival Darth Vader, and Leia Organa, and that's Din Djarin and Grogu from The Mandalorian. Speaking at Fan Expo Chicago 2025, the A Gentleman from Moscow star spoke to fans, theorizing why his series, which was released on Disney+ in 2022, hasn't had a second season, nor was there any official announcement of cancellation. He suspects it might have to do with the Jon Favreau-created series that was one of the flagships as part of the original slate of programming on the streamer when it premiered in 2019.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Ewan McGregor Claims 'The Mandalorian' May Have Undercut His Show's Success

"They brought out Disney+ and they wanted a big splash, and I thought that's what we were going to be, and then just before we made it, the Mandalorian came out," McGregor told fans (via The Pop Verse). "I thought, 'Wait a minute, I thought we were supposed to be the big splash.' I thought, 'Wait a minute, what's this, what's this going on here?' But there would seem to be plenty of room for all of us."

Obi-Wan Kenobi, set years following the events of 2005's Revenge of the Sith and before 1977's A New Hope, sees the character in hiding and largely suppressing his Force powers to the point where he struggles to use them again, like an atrophied muscle. The series largely takes place in Tatooine, looking over Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) son, Luke (Grant Feely), from afar, as he's being raised by Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Beru Lars (Bonnie Piesse). As Obi-Wan is trying to protect Luke from his biological father, who's currently Darth Vader, he's approached by Sen Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), who begs him to rescue his adopted daughter and Luke's twin sister, Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), from kidnappers who seek to ransom her.

The Joby Harold-created series followed The Mandalorian spinoff The Book of Boba Fett, which premiered in December 2021, starring Temuera Morrison as the title character, a fan favorite, who has also yet to see a second season. Like Obi-Wan, the series' status also remains in limbo despite seeing involvement from Pascal and his more popular Foundling counterpart. Aside from The Mandalorian, the only other Star Wars live-action shows to see a second season are Ahsoka and Andor, which concluded in 2024. Skeleton Crew also remains in limbo after its premiere season.

McGregor remains hopeful for his character's future since first taking over from the late Sir Alec Guinness in 1999's The Phantom Menace, "Somebody give me a job. Come on, Disney!" he joked. "We need season 2 for goodness's sake. What are we waiting for?!" Obi-Wan Kenobi, which also stars Rupert Friend, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, O'Shea Jackson Jr, and featuring the voice of James Earl Jones, is available on Disney+.

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