STAR Wars fans could be saying hello to Obi-Wan Kenobi once again, with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor in talks to reprise the role.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) confirmed that McGregor is in negotiations that would see him star in a Disney+ show featuring the Jedi knight.
The actor played the young version of Kenobi, made famous by Alec Guinness, in the three prequel films to the original trilogy that featured Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
While the three films he appeared in have been panned by both critics and many fans, recent years have seen The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith pick up a cult following.
Prequel fans have even made minor quotes from McGregor’s character into hugely popular memes online.
Images of the Scot in-character saying “hello there” and “a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one” are among those to be repurposed for comedic effect.
If a deal with McGregor is reached, it would see the Kenobi series being the third Star Wars title produced for Disney’s new streaming platform, which will launch later this year.
THR had revealed in 2017 that Disney and Lucasfilm were developing a spin-off feature centred on Kenobi, to be led by Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry – but the poor performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story put that on hold.
McGregor has previously indicated his willingness to return to the Star Wars galaxy.
Speaking to reporters at the Golden Globes last year amid rumours of a standalone film, he said: “There’s a lot of talk. I’d be happy to play him again. But I don’t know any more about it than you do. There’s no plan at the moment.”
The Mandalorian, starring Game of Thrones and Narcos actor Pedro Pascal as a bounty hunter, is set to air on Disney+ in November.
A prequel series to 2016 Star Wars film Rogue One with Diego Luna reprising the role of Cassian Andor will also be on the network.
The legion of fans preaching the virtues of the prequels has mushroomed in size in recent years, with the most popular community, on discussion website Reddit, having amassed more than one million subscribers.
Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2013, with two movies in a third trilogy having released since then.
Film site cinelinx, which first reported the talks between Disney and McGregor, suggested that the timing of the McGregor talks could be to lay the groundwork for an announcement at Disney’s D23 expo next week.
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