Posted in: Disney+, Preview, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, disney, disney plus, Ewan McGregor, joby harold, obi-wan, star wars, streaming, television, tv

"Obi-Wan": Joby Harold Set to Write Disney+ "Star Wars" Spinoff Series

Almost two months after news broke that production on Disney+'s Star Wars spinoff Obi-Wan was suspended over Lucasfilm president and Obi-Wan producer Kathleen Kennedy's dissatisfaction with writer Hossein Amini's (Drive) scripts, Joby Harold (Army of the Dead) has been tapped to step in as the four-episode, live-action series' writer (Variety first reported). Reportedly, Kennedy was concerned that having the lead character serve as a mentor to a young Luke and/or Leia skewed too close to The Mandalorian-The Child aka "Baby Yoda" dynamic.

Ewan McGregor spoke to Variety at a Birds of Prey fan event earlier this year about the matter, with the actor downplaying the idea that the delay issues involved the scripts ("it's not really as dramatic as it might seem"), and offering a more exact (if not official) timeframe for production:

"I think we start shooting early next year as opposed to summer this year. I think the scripts are great. They're in really good shape. They want them to be better. I think we keep our same airdate. All good."

Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, McGregor confirmed that pre-production began during the summer and that shooting starts early 2021 – still supporting the scripts he read:

"There are scripts that I've read that are really good. They're continuing to write on them to make them even better. I'm excited about it."

Deborah Chow is moving from directing two episodes of The Mandalorian to a turn in the director's chair for the Disney+ live-action Star Wars spinoff series.  Heading into the Star Wars universe, Chow's directorial "geek cred" was already firmly established by directing and work on series such as American Gods, Better Call Saul, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, Reign, and Mr. Robot.

The Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series is the third live-action series on the streamer's programming slate. The Mandalorian premiered when the streaming service debuted November 2019 (and is set to return for a second season this fall). The third project is a Rogue One prequel series (still untitled) focusing on Deigo Luna's Rebel Alliance officer Cassian Andor.

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