Disney+ Delays 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Release Date

It seems “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is going to… late.

On Thursday, the official Twitter account for the latest Disney+ live-action “Star Wars” show to hit the streaming service posted a message from lead actorEwan McGregor, who is reprising his role from the prequel trilogy.

Scroll down to see what the Emmy-award-winning actor had to say!

The forty-two-second-long video opens on McGregor greeting fans before letting them in on both the good news and the bad news.

“Hello, Star Wars fans!” he begins. “Thank you for all your incredible support in response to Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have some important news. Our premiere date is moving just a couple of days from Wednesday [May 25] to Friday, May the 27th. But, here’s the exciting part…”

“The first two episodes will premiere together,” he added. “So, make sure you tune in to both episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, streaming Friday, May the 27th, exclusively on Disney+.”

The news was disappointing to some fans, as the original date was pretty important. The first “Star Wars” film, “A New Hope,” had its theatrical debut on May 25, 1977, which meant that “Obi-Wan Kenobi” would have been released 45 years to the day that fans first got to see the late Sir Alec Guinness play the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time.

However, other fans think that it has something to do with Star Wars Celebration. The 2022 Star Wars Celebration is taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center from May 26 to May 29, which means they might be planning to hold a special screening at the multi-day fan festival.

Star Wars Celebration is, to put it simply, an official celebration of all things Star Wars. The official website calls it “the ultimate fan experience focused on the galaxy far, far away.”

Take a look at the official description below:

“Fans of all ages from all over the world will come together to celebrate the cultural phenomenon, Star Wars. Star Wars Celebration revels in the excitement of new movies, television shows, books, and comics while also commemorating the vast history of the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Celebration has something special for every kind of Star Wars fan!

“Star Wars Celebration is days of major announcements, immersive exhibits, an interactive show floor, screenings, exclusive merchandise, celebrity guests, panels, autograph sessions, fan-inspired activities, costumes, and other surprises celebrating all things Star Wars! Star Wars Celebration is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience where memories are made, families are brought together, old friends are reunited, and new friendships forged — all in the setting of the ever-evolving Star Wars universe.”

In the prequel trilogy, actor Hayden Christensen portrayed Anakin Skywalker’s slow descent until the Dark Side, which culminated into his transition into Darth Vader. He recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his “surreal” experience being back on set.

He called the 17-year break between his last appearance in “Revenge of the Sith” and the latest Disney+ series “surreal” and a “unique opportunity” that he and McGregor were extremely grateful for.

“One of the things I loved so much about working on Star Wars projects is just that shared excitement,” he recalled. “That everyone's really excited to be there. You feel that energy, and that's a really special thing.”

“The whole experience was very surreal,” he added. “Just the nature of coming back after all this time. It's such a unique opportunity — one that both Ewan and I were very grateful for.”

When asked how he felt being back on set, Christensen replied that there was “a lot of excitement” that felt “very meaningful.”

“It was mostly a lot of excitement because I had spent enough time with this character and felt like I knew him, and coming back to it felt very natural in a lot of ways,” Christensen explained. “And I was just really excited to get to come in and play Darth Vader at this point in the timeline because it did feel like a natural continuation of your journey with the character. And that was very meaningful for me.”

When asked what it was like getting back into the Darth Vader suit, he replied, “Well, without getting into too much detail, it was amazing. It’s a great honor to get to put that suit on.”

Fans can now look forward to two episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” on May 27, exclusively on Disney+. Fans can check out the teaser trailer below.