Ewan McGregor Pushes for New ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Story, Pitches Reaching Out to Yoda

Few actors have stayed as openly devoted to a single character across as many decades as Ewan McGregor has with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since first stepping into the role back in 1999’s ‘The Phantom Menace,’ McGregor has continued carrying the torch for the Jedi Master through two more prequel films and, eventually, a Disney+ limited series that brought him back after a seventeen-year gap.

That devotion hasn’t cooled off in the years since ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ wrapped its run in 2022. McGregor has used nearly every promotional opportunity since to publicly campaign for another chapter in the character’s story, framing the gap between the Disney+ series and Obi-Wan’s eventual appearance in the original trilogy as fertile ground still waiting to be explored.

That campaign took on a more concrete shape this week. Speaking with Variety, McGregor made clear he’s still ready to put the robes back on, telling the outlet, “I’m ready whenever they are. They just seem to not be ready, but I’m up for it.” He went on to sketch out where exactly he sees the character heading next in his own timeline.

“At the end of the ‘Obi-Wan’ series, I’m walking off into the desert and I’ve decided to leave. I’ve realized I can’t keep the pressure on Luke. I realized he has to have his own childhood, so I leave him with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. And I wander off… and Qui-Gon’s back,” McGregor told Variety, before pitching a specific idea involving another beloved Jedi figure. “Yoda’s somewhere else. After the end of ‘Episode III,’ when we all go to the four or five corners of the galaxy — or however many corners it’s got! — I won’t have been in touch with him. But he’s out there. So I think there could be a story there where I’m trying to reach out to him.”

That pitch fits squarely within the timeline McGregor has repeatedly pointed to as ripe for exploration, the stretch between Obi-Wan settling on Tatooine after the events of the Disney+ series and eventually becoming the aged hermit Alec Guinness portrayed watching over Luke Skywalker in the original ‘Star Wars.’ McGregor has floated the idea in multiple interviews over the past year, consistently describing that gap as containing “a few stories to tell.”

The actor also reflected on the emotional distance built into that isolated period, describing a version of Obi-Wan intentionally cutting himself off from Luke to let the boy have a normal childhood, while quietly reconnecting with Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force ghost. Weaving Yoda into that same stretch, as someone Obi-Wan hasn’t communicated with since scattering across the galaxy following ‘Revenge of the Sith,’ adds another emotional thread McGregor clearly believes is worth exploring on screen.

Despite his enthusiasm, McGregor has been candid that the decision isn’t in his hands. He’s acknowledged in past interviews that while he remains eager, Lucasfilm and Disney haven’t given any indication a follow-up is imminent, even as the studio continues developing other Star Wars projects, including James Mangold’s film centered on the first Jedi and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s upcoming feature starring Daisy Ridley’s Rey.

McGregor’s co-star from the Disney+ series, Hayden Christensen, has also previously expressed interest in returning as Anakin Skywalker if it meant working alongside McGregor again, adding another layer of momentum behind the idea of a follow-up. Whether that translates into an actual greenlit project remains entirely up to the studio’s broader plans for the franchise’s next wave of releases.

Given how consistently McGregor has kept this conversation alive across interviews, awards circuits, and promotional stops for unrelated projects, it’s clear the actor isn’t planning to let the idea fade quietly. Whether Disney eventually takes him up on it remains one of the more persistent open questions hanging over the franchise’s future.

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