Obi-Wan Kenobi series announces more casting and filming start date

This week, we finally got some news about the previously announced Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ limited series. The show, which will be only one season, has faced challenges getting off the ground but is finally in motion.

The show will be directed by Deborah Chow, who has directed two episodes in the first season of The Mandalorian. It will follow the Jedi master Obi-Wan a decade after the events of Revenge of the Sith and Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side.

In Disney’s latest announcement, they shared that filming for the series will begin in April. They also shared more of the casting, following the news that Hayden Christensen would return in the role of Darth Vader.

Joining the cast are two more returning Star Wars alumni: Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse. The two previously appeared as Owen and Beru Lars, Luke’s aunt and uncle, in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Edgerton is known for his acting work in films like The Gift, The Great Gatsby, and Loving. He recently wrote and starred in Netflix’s 2019 The King, which also starred Timothée Chalamet. He will appear in the television series The Underground Railroad and the film The Green Knight later this year.

Newcomers to the Star Wars universe include Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.

Ingram was most recently seen in Netflix’s award-winning series, The Queen’s Gambit. She’ll appear as Lady Macduff in The Tragedy of Macbeth later this year.

Nanjiani is best known for his role in the television series Silicon Valley and for writing and starring in the semi-autobiographical film, The Big Sick.

British actress Varma is best known for her work on television series including Luther, Human Target, and Game of Thrones. She will appear in the new Mission: Impossible film later this year.

Friend is an actor who has appeared on the television series Homeland and in many films, including The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Death of Stalin. Period drama fans will recognize him as Mr. Wickham from Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice or as Prince Albert opposite Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria.

Jackson, the eldest son of rapper Ice Cube, is a rapper and actor. He is known for his work in Straight Outta Compton and Just Mercy.

Kang has portrayed the character Han Lue in five Fast & Furious films. He also recently appeared in Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes. 

Kessell hails from New Zealand and has appeared on many television series. Most notably, she was on Terra Nova and Of Kings and Prophets. 

Safdie is an actor and director, known for his work with his brother Josh. The pair recently wrote and directed 2019’s Uncut Gems. Safdie also appeared in the Oscar-nominated 2020 film Pieces of a Woman.

Obi-Wan Kenobi will stream exclusively on Disney+, though no release date has been announced yet. It will likely follow a weekly release model, like The Mandalorian and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

What are you most hoping to see in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.