A new report claims Obi-Wan Kenobi switched out the original child actor cast to play the young Luke Skywalker in the upcoming Star Wars series.
The role was recast after Obi-Wan Kenobi's scripts were extensively reworked mid-production by director Deborah Chow and writer Joby Harold, according to unnamed sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter. These same insiders allege that no scenes were shot with the original Luke Skywalker actor before he was replaced by the show's final choice for the part, Grant Feely.
Fans continue to speculate on just how extensively Luke will feature in Obi-Wan Kenobi after the future Jedi Knight briefly appeared in the series' recently released teaser trailer. Here, the pre-teen farmboy is seen pretending to pilot an imaginary starship while perched atop his farmhouse roof, oblivious to the presence of his Jedi protector, Obi-Wan Kenobi, nearby. A New Hope implies Luke is at least vaguely familiar with Obi-Wan, however, how much the pair will interact in the show remains to be seen.
Regardless of how big Luke's part in Obi-Wan Kenobi turns out to be, the news that the part was recast further underlines just how radically Chow and Harold revamped the show and follows reports that Darth Maul was cut from the series. Rumors persist that actor and stuntman Ray Park -- who physically portrayed Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace and Solo: A Star Wars Story -- even filmed scenes for the show. Another unidentified Lucasfilm employee has since denied that the character was ever slated to return, and dismissed the idea that Park appeared in any footage for the show.
Nevertheless, the prevailing behind-the-scenes narrative is that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, the chief architects of Lucasfilm's wider slate of live-action programming, convinced Chow and Harold to drop Maul from Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is further held that Filoni was the one who proposed substituting the former Sith Lord with Darth Vader and Star Wars Rebels antagonist the Grand Inquisitor as the main villains in the series.
The Grand Inquisitor and his minions feature prominently in the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, however, Darth Vader himself is conspicuously absent. Despite this, Hayden Christiansen is confirmed to reprise the role he last played in Revenge of the Sith, and Lucasfilm recently circulated a still of the actor in costume to promote the return of Star Wars' most iconic baddie.
Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives on Disney+ on May 25.