The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to stumbling and getting back up. It's one of the most iconic movie series in Hollywood history but there have been some darker days for it through the years as well. Let's not forget the response to the prequel trilogy - particularly that of The Phantom Menace and Jar Jar Binks - or Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fett. Lucasfilm for sure would have liked stronger responses, but the titles themselves were success stories and the franchise persisted.
Star Wars' newest era has provided its devoted fans with plenty of opportunities for discussion, as there have been plenty of ups and downs that have come with it. While the Skywalker movie series has come to an end and both Disney and Lucasfilm figured out the next steps for the stories in that galaxy so far, far away, the franchise lived on in the form of Disney Plus shows. It all started with The Mandalorian in 2019 and just grew from there.
Now, one show that fans initially thought wouldn't return will reportedly return for a second season after all.
Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 reportedly in the works
According to well-established industry insider Daniel Richtman, Obi-Wan Kenobi has been renewed for season 2 at Disney Plus and is currently in development at Lucasfilm. It wouldn't be the first time that the show has been rumored, but it would be a believable development given how successful the first season was and how much the Star Wars franchise could use a win right now.
The show's first season premiered on Disney Plus back in the summer of 2022 and it became a global phenomenon. Not surprising when you consider how it brought back Ewan McGregor as the younger version of the titular character to bridge the gap between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. With that, we got to see a grittier, more rugged version of the young Obi-Wan that wasn't quite the aged warrior that Alec Guinness played in the original films.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally envisioned as a one-season show, but given how much of the titular character's story there is to explore, there was always the option for a second season at some point in the future. After the immense success of the first season, it's not surprising that those conversations have been going on, especially after Ewan McGregor was extremely enthusiastic about doing one.
Speaking to Variety in 2024, the acting legend said: "I would love to do the second season, but there’s no talk of it yet... There is a lot going on at Disney." Well now maybe Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 can be one of those things.
In recent years, both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios have struggled to ensure that all of their respective Disney Plus shows have been success stories, and that has forced both franchises to dial it back and rethink their strategies. While Marvel spent too much on underperformers like Secret Invasion and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, the Star Wars franchise struggled with its own shows. The Acolyte was one of the most-watched shows of last year on Disney Plus and it was still cancelled due to its ridiculously high budget. Subsequent Star Wars show Skeleton Crew hasn't had any recent updates about its fate.
Lucasfilm has decided to bring the Star Wars series back to the big screen, using its most popular small screen characters to do that. The Mandalorian and Grogu, a spinoff sequel to The Mandalorian will bring the titular characters to the silver screen for the first time next year, but it has also left the fate of the TV series up in the air. And with spinoff Ahsoka now rumored to have just one more season left, it's unclear whether Lucasfilm thinks Star Wars' TV days are numbered. Bringing back its most successful show for a second season might dispel those rumors and regenerate excitement in the franchise's Disney Plus arm.
Whatever the reason for this rumored comeback, we would just be very happy to see Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi back on our screens.