Obi-Wan Kenobi cast confirmed as Kumail Nanjiani, Rupert Friend, and more join the Star Wars universe

News
By published

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will also bring back some familiar faces from the Star Wars prequels

Obi-Wan
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

The full cast for the upcoming Disney Plus show Obi-Wan Kenobi has been revealed by the official Star Wars Twitter account.

There are some surprise names on the line-up, including Kumail Nanjiani, Rupert Friend, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, and Benny Safdie. Check out the cast list below.

Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels, returns to the role, while Hayden Christensen will be back to portray the villain Darth Vader. Joel Edgerton will appear in the new series, having last been seen on screen in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, playing Uncle Owen, while Bonnie Piesse played Beru Lars.

Moses Ingram is a newcomer to the Star Wars universe. She is best known for playing Jolene in Netflix's The Queens Gambit. The roles of Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Rupert Friend (Hitman: Agent 47), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Benny Safdie (Good Time), O'Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton), Sung Kang (Fast and Furious), and Simone Kessell (Terra Nova) remain unknown. 

This is one of the most exciting cast-lists in a long while, with Star Wars still able to pull big-name actors who have appeared in many, many franchises between them. The Disney Plus series enters production this April, and will be directed by Deborah Chow, who previously helmed two episode of The Mandalorian season 1.

An official synopsis has also been released, reading: "The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader."

The series is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and writer Joby Harold. For more upcoming projects in a galaxy far, far away, check out our piece on all the new Star Wars movies and shows.

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.