Report: Obi-Wan Kenobi series on hold at Disney Plus

Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars

Source: Star Wars (Image credit: Star Wars)
What you need to know

• The Obi-Wan series for Disney+ has reportedly been put on hold, according to a report.

• Producer Kathleen Kennedy was allegedly unhappy with the scripts.

• The series was supposed to start filming in 2020.

Rumors have been swirling (a lot of them from unreliable sources) that the Obi-Wan Kenobi solo series at Disney Plus was in trouble. A recent report, however, cites two sources with knowledge of the situation and they confirm that the series has been put on hold.

The report comes from Collider , which has broken scoops before, so it's reasonable to assume that the reports are legitimate. The Hollywood Reporter has also confirmed the news with its sources. Needless to say, it's not good news for anybody who was looking forward to the long-gestating solo outing for Ewan McGregor as the famous Jedi.

According to the sources, the crew that was on set at Pinewood Studios in London has been sent home "indefinitely." There are also rumblings that producer Kathleen Kennedy wasn't happy with the scripts, which could imply that if the scripts were reworked, the series could be back on track.

THR added that the series is now looking for a new writer and that it's been pared down from six episodes to four. McGregor and Deborah Chow, who was first female director to helm a Star Wars project (she directed episode three of The Mandalorian), are still attached.

The series, which began as a feature film many moons ago , was announced back in August during the Disney+ panel at D23 Expo. Kennedy was on hand and also confirmed that McGregor, who played the role throughout the Star Wars prequels, would be reprising it. She also said that the scripts were written and that shooting would begin in 2020.

"Yes...It's been four years of saying 'oh, I don't know. We've been talking.' Now I can say yes, we're gonna do it," McGregor said on stage.

While Kennedy didn't confirm what the series would be about, we had an idea. Other rumors about casting calls suggested that Lucasfilm was looking for an actor to play a young Luke Skywalker, insinuating that the series would look at the long length of time between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode 4: A New Hope.

It's interesting to note that Star Wars seems to be at an impasse , especially after the lukewarm reception of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Dcember, which is on track to be the lowest-grossing film in the trilogy. (It has still made over $1 billion internationally.) While RIan Johnson and Kevin Feige have been trapped for new projects, no details have been revealed. The company also reportedly approached Taika Waititi (of Thor: Ragnarok fame) to helm a project. The next Star Wars movie is reportedly still on track to hit theaters in 2022.