Filoni just revealed his true powers behind Obi-Wan Kenobi and how he fought to save a fan-favorite character in the upcoming series.
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Hayden Christensen is officially back as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, and Dave Filoni may thank for that.
Following immense and unfair backlash from critics and some fans, Christensen stepped out of the spotlight following his run as the Jedi Knight in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
17 years later and Lucasfilm unveils the first look at Darth Vader with Hayden Christensen under the mask following the groundbreaking trailer of Obi-Wan Kenobi featuring Ewan McGregor back as his Jedi Master.
It’s hard to imagine anyone else being the antagonist of Kenobi. Still, The Clone Wars director Dave Filoni just revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he “fought” to bring Darth Vader and the Inquisitors into this new Star Wars story:
Dave Filoni pushed for Darth Vader to be the main villain of the Obi-Wan series and for the Grand Inquistor to return
Dave Filoni pushed for Darth Vader to be the main villain of the Obi-Wan series and for the Grand Inquistor to return
(Source: THR) pic.twitter.com/8BpuxhWb8G
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) March 14, 2022
THR writes:
Sources note that Filoni and Favreau were concerned about Obi-Wan covering similar ground as Mandalorian — the Lone Wolf and Cub-like story of Kenobi coming out of hiding to protect a child-aged Luke Skywalker. Maul was one of the villains who would participate in the hunt for the pair; Vader was nowhere to be found in this faraway galaxy at this stage, according to those with knowledge of the project. Also, Filoni and Favreau pushed Chow and the show to “go bigger,” according to several sources. In any case, those concerns made their way to Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, who pressed the pause button.
THR continues:
In the overhaul, however, Maul was written out. One source says it was Filoni that conceptually keyed in on a way for Vader to be brought back as the big bad, with the Grand Inquisitor, a character made popular by Filoni in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, also put into the story.
Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau will serve as the executive producers of Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Deborah Chow returning to the Star Wars galaxy as the series’ principal director (no longer a different director per episode practice).
THR reveals that Darth Maul was initially planned as the main antagonist for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but a creative overhaul between Lucasfilm and Disney ultimately and unfortunately saw the legendary villain scrapped:
Darth Maul, a chief antagonist of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi who first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, is not expected to appear in the series. But, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter, not only was the Sith Lord initially slated to return to the live-action Disney+ series as a key villain, actor Ray Park was in active prep to reprise Maul.
That, however, was before those scenes were scrapped amid a creative overhaul that ultimately saw other antagonists, including Darth Vader, added to the show.
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The article confirms that actor Ray Park, who originally played the Sith Lord in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), was billed returned to the role for Obi-Wan Kenobi, confirming countless rumors, but Maul was regrettably cut from the final storyline.
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The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni have an overreaching reach of the Star Wars universe, as they’re the new George Lucas of this beloved saga.
Every Star Wars fan has Filoni to thank for bringing Hayden Christensen back as the beloved Darth Vader; a role fans have been waiting to see once again for nearly two decades as the Dark Lord and his Inquisitors hunt down the remaining Jedi.
More about Obi-Wan Kenobi
The story begins ten years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his most significant defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
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McGregor recently stated that the most “annoying” part of returning to his Star Wars role was that he knew the series was happening years before Lucasfilm even announced its development in 2019:
“That was annoying. Every interview I ever did for, you know, years, people would say, ‘Well, are the rumors true?’ And I’d have to sort of, I’d have to lie. I’d have to say, ‘Well, you know, I don’t know. I’d be happy to play him one day again.’”
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The world of (Mark Hamill), (Carrie Fisher), (Harrison Ford), (James Earl Jones), Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), (Ray Parker), (Boba Fett (/Temura Morrison), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Jedi Knight Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito)the , the Death Star, and the Clone War.
Within the moving past : A (2016) or the controversial The Last Jedi (2018) as we dive into the or explore new realities of the Star Wars universe with each new or the upcoming like : 2 or .
“The rematch of the century” teased by Kathleen Kennedy, director Deborah Chow, and Lucasfilm will be supported by Moses Ingram (Inquisitor Reva), Joel Edgerton (Uncle Owen), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by Deborah Chow and executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and Joby Harold.
Are you excited to see Hayden Christensen return to Star Wars? Let us know in the comments below!