Star Wars was supposed to be a no-brainer four-billion dollar deal for Disney, but it’s turned out to be a bumpy ride. While the films have made bank, some have underperformed — massively, in one case. Even their smash hits have had a heck of a time in production, with fired directors and massive re-shoots and allegedly leaked drafts some felt were better than the finished product. And now there’s this: the as-yet-untitled Obi-Wan TV show destined for Disney+ has reportedly been put on hold.
This comes from The Hollywood Reporter, with multiple sources telling them the show — which is to bring Ewan McGregor back to the role he played, with gusto, in the Star Wars prequels — is being retooled. The reason? The storyline hatched by Drive writer Hossein Amini “became an issue” after two scripts had been submitted. Rather than rework Amini’s work they decided to start from scratch, and they’re now on the look-out for a new wordsmith.
Don’t fret too much: McGregor remains on board, as does director Deborah Chow, still poised to become the first woman to direct Star Wars product.
What irked Star Wars top brass, including honcho Kathleen Kennedy? According to one source, the story “treaded similar ground as Mandalorian, seeing the Jedi master lending a protective hand to a young Luke and perhaps even a young Leia, perhaps mirroring how the Mandalorian took Baby Yoda under his protective custody.” That said, Disney has not yet publicly commented on the news.
Whatever the case, it’s not great news for the troubled franchise, which has been put on hold, with numerous projects up in the air. Among those are a trilogy shepherded by The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson, which may or may not materialize, and a one-off by Kevin Feige. Meanwhile, The Rise of Skywalker continues to make bank, although it earned the worst reviews of the new trilogy, with many critics finding it inferior to its bold and, in some circles, contentious predecessor.
In other news, Baby Yoda, the breakout star of another Star Wars show, The Mandalorian, remains as viral as ever.
(Via THR)
