Lucasfilm‘s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” has been filming for months now in the Los Angeles area that will see prequel actors Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen return to the “Star Wars” universe for the streaming series helmed by Canadian director Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian,” “Jessica Jones“). But there could be more “familiar” faces we see in the movie.
A new report from Cinelinx has pointed out some interesting character and casting information for the “Star Wars” series as they claim that confirmed cast member Sung Kang (“F9: The Fast Saga“) is playing Fith Brother. The villainous character is an Inquisitor (read: a Jedi Hunter) from the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels.” Kang recently teased interacting with Jedi and Darth Vader on the set of “Kenobi” when speaking with Rotten Tomatoes (see below).
Here’s a little synopsis on who the Inquisitors and the Fifth Brother from StarWars.com:
“A big, hulking enforcer, the Fifth Brother Inquisitor was among a group of Inquisitors used by the Empire to hunt down any surviving Jedi. Trained in the dark side of the Force, he wielded the same model dual-bladed lightsaber as the Grand Inquisitor, reveling in the opportunity to destroy rebels and Force-wielders alike. Along with the Seventh Sister, he was dispatched by Darth Vader to locate the Ghost crew and bring them to justice.”
Another neat tidbit mentioned is confirmation of something we reported earlier this year in our “Star Wars” podcast around the time of MayThe4th: (and many others, to be fair): a younger version of Princess Leia will appear in the series. Cinelinx adds that actress Vivien Lyra Blair (“We Can Be Heroes,” “Bird Box“) has landed the role of the young Alderaanian Princess. The young actress appeared in Robert Rodriguez‘s “We Can Be Heroes,” and it’s easy to speculate that the filmmaker, having directed on “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” could have put in a good word. But one of the details that we heard was that the Princess Leia actress had been hired ages ago, almost two years ago at this point, as the search to cast her was a big but very secret endeavor.
Until confirmed, as with all rumors, take with a pinch of salt, but again, we’d heard this from very reliable sources a long time ago, though Cinelinx, who has a good track record, has obviously named the actor, and I bet they’re correct. These rumors also add credence to the rumor we’ll see a young Luke Skywalker in the film as well, which isn’t that far-fetched given Obi-Wan’s whole purpose is to watch over the boy on Tattooine. Additionally, does the purported appearance of a young Princess Leia not also suggest the appearance of Senator Bail Organa, her adopted father, played by Jimmy Smits? That actor has stayed mum and has suggested he won’t appear in the ‘Obi-Wan’ series, but wherever there’s Princess Leia as a child, her famous father is probably not that far behind.
Here is the official synopsis of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” directly from Lucasfilm:
“The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.”
The rest of the show’s cast includes Indira Varma, Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Moses Ingram, Bonnie Piesse, Maya Erskine, and Simone Kessel.
There have been previous hints that Moses Ingram could also be playing an Inquisitor or Jedi on the show after a post on Instagram mentioned that she “plays with lightsabers.” It’s also all but confirmed that we’ll be getting a young Luke Skywalker as the return of Uncle Owen (Edgerton) and Aunt Beru (Piesse) actors telegraphed this ages ago.
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“Obi-Wan Kenobi” isn’t expected to debut on Disney+ until sometime in 2022 alongside Diego Luna‘s spy series “Star Wars: Andor.”