Warning! Spoilers for episodes 1-4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi follow. Be sure to check out our review of Part 4 right here.
The first four episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ feature some thrilling moments, including a rooftop chase with Princess Leia, battles with Darth Vader, and more!
We spoke to executive producer and head writer Joby Harold to learn more about how this series was brought to life and why it was made into a TV show instead of a feature film for the big screen.
"What I wanted to explore in Obi-Wan was just being very patient and being very methodical," Harold told IGN. "Especially at the beginning in sitting with the character and living with the character, and that's time you wouldn't really be given in features within a traditional structure. So, because slowing down the story felt so important, I can't imagine doing this as a feature because you'd have to hit the gas and get the plot moving."
I can't imagine doing this as a feature because you'd have to hit the gas and get the plot moving.
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Harold has been in the entertainment business for 20 years, producing action-packed films such as John Wick 3: Parabellum and Edge of Tomorrow, but Star Wars holds a special place in his heart.
"I was always trying to get to tell a Star Wars story. It's the reason why I left England and came to go work in Hollywood," Harold explained. "And it was just a story that I always wanted to be a part of so I was stupidly excited to get to do it. I had very strong opinions about [Obi-Wan] specifically. He's always been a favorite character of mine."
Harold is also working on some other well-known franchises, including the upcoming Flash film for Warner Bros. and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for Paramount. He went on to say that there's a certain weight of responsibility and expectations as a writer whenever you're writing words for such iconic characters like Darth Vader, Optimus Prime, or Bruce Wayne.
"I just find it really exciting, as an audience member first and foremost," Harold said. "There's nothing like getting to write on a formatted script the words Kenobi or Vadar or Bruce Wayne or Optimus. You do feel very much a part of that storytelling tradition and you feel the responsibility but in a really good way. I will say, [with] any of those names I've gotten to write down, on one level, you are writing Optimus or John Wick or Barry [Allen]. Then when it's suddenly Vadar, it's a slightly different feeling because you do feel the weight of your own expectations and that's no small thing."
For more on Star Wars, brush up on everything that was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2022, new Obi-Wan Kenobi Funko Pops, and an interesting fact about Temuera Morrison's cameo in episode 2.
David Griffin is the Senior Editor, Features and Content Partnerships for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.
