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Obi-Wan Kenobi: John Williams Composing "Star Wars" Spinoff Theme

Published Thu, 17 Feb 2022 17:40:12 -0600

As if fans were needing another reason to check out Lucasfilm & Disney+'s Ewan McGregor & Hayden Christensen-starring "Star Wars" spinoff series Obi-Wan Kenobi when it premieres on May 25, Variety is reporting exclusively a bit of news that should literally be music to their ears. Legendary composer and "Star Wars" franchise Hall-of-Famer John Williams is set to compose the theme for the series. Williams wrote the theme and recorded it under tight security with a Los Angeles orchestra last week. There is no official word yet on who will be scoring the individual six episodes (which are expected to be recorded in London), with Disney & Lucasfilm unavailable for comment on the reporting.

During an interview with Forbes in support of his Expedia Super Bowl ad running this Sunday, McGregor had some interesting personal perspectives to add into the mix- including why he thinks "people are going to like it." Here are some of the highlights:

On Returning to the Role After So Long: "Oh my gosh, well I loved playing him again. I mean it's quite interesting, after the experience of making the first three films and living through sort of their reception in the world, which wasn't always glowing, I have to say. And then now, meeting the generation who we made those films for, the children then – and now, people in their late teens or early 20s, those people who were kids who we made those films for, they loved them. To them, they're their Star Wars films, you know? For us, it was the original films of the '70s, but for them, it was our films that were their Star Wars. So to step back into his shoes again now and do a series, a whole series about Obi-Wan Kenobi for those fans, it just makes me really happy."

On What Working with Director Deborah Chow Was Like: "It was a great experience. Deborah Chow directed all the episodes and she's really good. She directed a couple [episodes] of 'The Mandalorian' and she's a really great director. She really knows the 'Star Wars' world, inside out, far more than I do (laughs). We just had a great time. I think it's no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again. I'm not going to give away anything else about the storyline, only I think it's really going to satisfy 'Star Wars' fans. I always felt there was a story between Episode III where I finished playing Obi-Wan in the movies and Episode IV where Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The ['Obi-Wan Kenobi' series] writers and Deb and I and everyone, I think we crafted or they crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it."

obi-wan kenobi — Obi-Wan Kenobi – Image: Lucasfilm

Joining McGregor & Christensen are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, and Maya Erskine– with the series taking place 10 years after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat: the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. Director Deborah Chow moves from directing episodes of The Mandalorian to directing the entire run of the series with directorial "geek cred" that also includes American Gods, Better Call Saul, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, Reign, and Mr. Robot. In April 2020, Joby Harold (Army of the Dead) was tapped to replace Hossein Amini (Drive) after reports surfaced that Kennedy was dissatisfied with Amini's scripts. With the series set to premiere in 2022, you can check out an update on how things are going with Disney+ & Lucasfilm's Obi-Wan Kenobi by checking out the special here on the streaming service.