It goes without saying at this point that the Star Wars movie series is one of the biggest in the history of Hollywood. Heck, it's been that way for decades. If you weren't onboard after watching the original 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, you absolutely were when the credits rolled on critically-acclaimed 1982 sequel The Empire Strikes Back. Flash forward five decades and the Star Wars domination continues.
After a cinematic hiatus, the franchise is returning to the silver screen in 2026 with The Mandalorian and Grogu, but it has never been far from our screens anyway, as the Lucasfilm saga has carried on in the form of multiple Disney Plus shows. And those Disney Plus shows are the reason that this upcoming film exists, as The Mandalorian is where we first met the titular characters.
One of the best aspects of the shows has been their abilities to bring in classic Star Wars characters. We saw this on Obi-Wan Kenobi which brought back Ewan McGregor's classic Jedi, Ahsoka which brought back Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker, and The Mandalorian which managed to bring back Mark Hamill's legendary Luke Skywalker. However, as reported by The Direct, rumor has it that another classic character was supposed to appear in one of them and it ultimately didn't work out.
Natalie Portman's Star Wars return reportedly cut from Obi-Wan Kenobi
Industry insider Jeff Sneider recently spoke on John Rocha's The Hot Mic and revealed that Star Wars legend Natalie Portman was actually supposed to make an unexpected return to the franchise in Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi. In fact, according to Sneider, she even filmed scenes for the show around the time that she was also filming Thor: Love and Thunder in 2021. Unfortunately, her appearance never made it into the final cut of the show.
"She previously did shoot some stuff for the 'Obi-Wan [Kenobi]' show while working on '[Thor]: Love and Thunder,' but it didn't make the final cut, so it's too early to know..."
Portman portrayed the role of Queen Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy movies, which ended up being one of the most defining roles of her career. She has since become one of the biggest names in Hollywood, earning acclaim for her performances in the likes of Black Swan (which won her an Academy Award) and Jackie. She also stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor movies as Jane Foster, a.k.a. The Mighty Thor.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was released in the summer of 2022 and it was a huge hit for the Disney Plus streaming service. Ewan McGregor reprised the titular role as the fan-favorite jedi, returning to the franchise for the first time since 2005's Revenge of the Sith. From the moment that it was announced, expectations were high, but its success exceeded expectations, becoming one of the streamer's most successful original shows thus far. It is a miniseries, but fans - and McGregor himself - have been campaigning for a second season ever since.
Although it's a shame that Portman wasn't featured in the finished product, there have since been rumors that she will make an appearance in Ahsoka season 2, potentially allowing the Star Wars franchise to right that wrong. And that would be a good choice of project for her return too, as it already broke the internet with Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin Skywalker, and now Ewan McGregor is also rumored for a season 2 appearance.
Queen Amidala has lived on as one of Star Wars' most important characters, so it goes without saying that it would be great to see Portman get the chance to reprise her role at some point. Whether the apparent footage for Obi-Wan Kenobi ever sees the light of day or not, it would still be great to see her back in a new project in some capacity or another.