Ewan McGregor compares the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and Star Wars prequels: "I’m going to enjoy [filming] it all much more"

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Ewan McGregor also reveals the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will use the same technology as The Mandalorian

(Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney)

Rightly or wrongly, the Star Wars prequels have gained a certain reputation over the years. Episodes 1 to 3 in a galaxy far, far away are the equivalent of Force Marmite – you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em.

While Ewan McGregor doesn’t reveal which of the camp he falls in to, he has revealed he’s going to “enjoy” the filming process of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus series that much more because of the large leaps in technology since the prequel trilogy.

“I’m just going to enjoy it all much more,” McGregor told ACE Universe. “Our technology is such that we’d shot [The Phantom Menace] on film, and [Attack of the Clones] when we got to Australia on the then-new HD cameras, which is pretty primitive compared to what we have now… It was all blue screen and green screen. It was hard to imagine it. Nowadays, things have moved on so much. A lot of what you see is going to be what we see.”

McGregor waxed lyrical on the technology pioneered by Lucasfilm and ILM on The Mandalorian. The “Stagecraft” screen projects a large LED 360-degrees image of a backdrop or a landscape which can be seamlessly integrated into a scene. For McGregor, it could be transformative – and light years away from the clunky tech of the mid-2000s.

“When you’re on set, if you’re in a snowscape or something, when you look around you see that. It makes you feel like you’re in the place. It’s going to feel realer for us, for the actors. I think we’ll be using some of that technology on our show,” he revealed.

As for some Obi-Wan plot details? These are not the spoilers you’re looking for. McGregor batted away any probing questions of the as-yet-untitled series by simply stating: “I do know what it’s going to be about, but I’m not going to tell you.”

If nothing else, at least we know Lucasfilm is continuing to push the boundaries of technology – which is good news for us, and a certain Ewan McGregor.

Here are all the new Star Wars movies and TV shows coming your way very soon...

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.