Deborah Chow is expanding her directorial credits in the Star Wars universe.
The director, who already helmed part of Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian” series, has been tapped so sit in the director’s for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series which will see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the iconic jedi master.
McGregor confirmed the series was going forward during a surprise appearance at Disney’s D23 fan convention in August. During the presentation, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy gave un update on the show’s progress, saying that “all the scripts are written” and the series will “start shooting next year.”
“We really wanted to select a director who is able to explore both the quiet determination and rich mystique of Obi-Wan in a way that folds seamlessly into the Star Wars saga,” Kennedy said of Chow’s hiring in a statement. “Based on her phenomenal work developing our characters in ‘The Mandalorian,’ I’m absolutely confident Deborah is the right director to tell this story.”
Chow’s other director credits include “American Gods,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “Better Call Saul” and “Jessica Jones.”
McGregor previously played the character in the three “Star Wars” prequels “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith.” There had been talk for years that McGregor would return in an Obi-Wan standalone film, but those plans were reportedly put on hold following the unsuccessful roll out of “Star Wars” standalone film “Solo.” The new series reportedly takes place eight years after the events of “Revenge of the Sith,” which ended with Kenobi besting his apprentice Anakin Skywalker in a dramatic duel on the fiery planet of Mustafar.
The Obi-Wan series, written by Hossein Amini, is the third live-action “Star Wars” show on Disney Plus, in addition to “The Mandalorian” and a series based on Cassian Andor, the character first introduced in the film “Rogue One” with Diego Luna reprising his role from the movie.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Chow’s hiring.