2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The movie was hated by many longtime fans when it arrived in theaters way back in 1999, but for a lot of kids at the time, it was their first experience exploring the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
That might go some way in explaining why the consensus appears to have changed in recent years, with the entire prequel trilogy now boasting a sizeable fanbase who celebrate George Lucas’ work, not deride it.
Talking to Variety, Ewan McGregor admitted he was initially "very reluctant" to play the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. "It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. 'The Beach' was more important and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice."
"I am happy that I am this character for a lot of people, but when these films came out, they were so disliked. That was hard," he admits. "The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered."
Attack of the Clones didn't fare any better with critics, though Revenge of the Sith was largely well-received. Like the sequel trilogy, the movies spilt opinions and continue to do so to this day, with the general consensus appearing to be that none of the newer efforts come close to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
On the plus side, McGregor had a blast making Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series. "I would love to do the second season, but there’s no talk of it yet," the actor confirms. "There is a lot going on at Disney."
Fans remain hopeful that a second season happens but, as far as we're aware, nothing is currently being actively developed at Lucasfilm. The studio has a great many other irons in the fire and there's always a chance the Jedi could show up elsewhere!
Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat - the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master, and also marked the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader before he later reprised the role in Ahsoka. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by Deborah Chow and executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor and Joby Harold. All episodes are now streaming on Disney+.