‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Lucasfilm Warned Actress Moses Ingram About Racist Backlash Online

WHEN Hayden Christensen auditioned for the role of the young Darth Vader in 2000 he was content to have nabbed a couple of souvenir hats from his visit to George Lucas’s secretive Skywalker Ranch. Little did he expect, as a then 19-year-old unknown, to land the part of cinema’s most revered baddie.

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SPOILER ALERT: This review contains details of the first two episodes of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

shocked fans with the introduction of the Child, aka Grogu, at the end of its season 1 premiere, opens with a twist and introduces an unexpected key character that plays into the titular Jedi Master’s story 10 years after the . [: Spoilers for the two-part premiere of .]In the two-part premiere, it’s revealed that Ewan McGregor’s character, as well as any other remaining Jedi, are in hiding. And for Kenobi, who now goes as Ben, that means living off the grid on the fringes of town on the planet, Tatooine, where a young, 10-year-old Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) has been placed under the care of his step-uncle, Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) and his wife, Beru Whitesun Lars (Bonnie Piesse).

The new Obi-Wan Kenobi series is now streaming on Disney+ and a surprise red carpet premiere took place at the Star Wars Celebration fan event!

West Coast viewers will now be able to see the first two episodes of the show at 9 PM PT. They were originally slated to be available at midnight. The news arrived in a tweet from the official “Star Wars” account.  .

Obi-Wan Kenobi” is premiering on Disney+ a few hours earlier than planned, the “Star Wars” show announced Thursday night.Viewers will be able to stream the first two episodes of the show, starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, starting at 9 p.m. PT. Originally, they were set to become available at midnight.The news was announced in a tweet from the official “Star Wars” account.

Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+ and even more streaming services, there’s no shortage of options when choosing what to binge-watch this weekend. However, sometimes the amount of great film and television available to stream can be overwhelming and lead to scrolling aimlessly — hoping to land on that perfect piece of content.  Scroll no more! To help you out, ET has rounded up the best movies and TV shows to stream this weekend, including new arrivals, nostalgia-filled favorites and titles you may have missed the (well-deserved) hype on that are worth circling back for.From the long-awaited fourth season of Netflix'  to a new prequel series,, we’ve got your content covered this week. For even more recommendations, make sure to check out our guide for everything new on Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+ and more this month.Starring fan favorites including Ewan McGregor, Theo James, Vanessa Bayer, Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Tom Hiddleston, Joe Alwyn, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and more, here are the best TV shows and movies to stream this week: +Ewan McGregor reprises his beloved role as Obi-Wan and Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin-turned-Vader for the first time since the 2005 film,, in this new limited series.

“Star Wars” is growing its footprint on the streaming side of things with “Obi-Wan Kenobi” debuting tomorrow on Disney+, but during the Lucasfilm panel at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California it was officially announced that “Andor” will indeed get another season. Not just that, but the second season of “Andor” will consist of 12 episodes just like the first as announced by showrunner/creator Tony Gilroy and cover the following four years of the Rebel spy’s adventures leading up to the events of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and the character’s ultimate death on Scarif after successfully stealing the Death Star plans from an Imperial outpost.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Obi-Wan returns for one more showdown with Anakin Skywalker in the new “Star Wars” series that hits Disney+ this Friday.In “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Ewan McGregor reprises his role as the titular Jedi Knight, alongside Hayden Christensen, who returns to his legendary role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

Jon Burlingame editorWith “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” debuting Friday on Disney+, English composer Natalie Holt becomes the first woman to score a live-action “Star Wars” project, on the heels of her success with Marvel’s “Loki.”She spent four months on the project, including two months in Los Angeles recording with many of the same musicians who recorded John Williams’ new theme for the series, as revealed by Variety in mid-February.“It’s been such a fine balance, all the way along, finding the right level of ‘Star Wars’ homage, because we’ve got heritage characters,” she says, referring to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and others, “and adding in new elements as well,” she says. “These heritage characters have big themes that everybody expects to hear when they get on screen.

The next big “Star Wars” series that has yet to go into production is the mysterious project only known as “The Acolyte” that is gathering steam after actress Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give“) reportedly landed the lead role. While we don’t know a lot of details, it’s confirmed that the new show takes place during The High Republic, a new era of “Star Wars” that was launched for a publication push for books and comic books, a hundred years before the events of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Set between The Old Republic and the Skywalker Saga, the show will indeed move away from the Skywalkers but Jedi such as Yoda are alive during this era, allowing for original/prequel trilogy characters to make their comebacks.

in the upcoming Disney+ series “Kenobi,” revealed Wednesday that he worked with a special choreographer to perfect the Dark Lord’s manner of moving, reports Entertainment Weekly.“We had this woman who was like a Vader movement specialist,” said Christensen. “And she made sure that we were always in the right ballpark.”The 41-year-old “Shattered Glass” actor, who portrayed the villain briefly in “Revenge of the Sith,” also revealed that the suit really changed the way that he had to walk while in character.

It took a little bit of work for Ewan McGregor to get back into character for his new “Star Wars” series.

, Moses Ingram is poised to be one of the breakout performers of the limited series, marking Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen’s long-awaited return as the titular Jedi Master and his former apprentice-turned-Darth Vader, respectively. “She’s serious and she don’t take no mess,” Ingram tells ET’s Will Marfuggi about her character created specifically for the live-action series. And according to executive producer Joby Harold, the “third sister,” who will appear alongside Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor, is expected to join the legacy of villains -- and become a foe that’s remembered for a long time. As seen in the trailers, Reva has an intimidating presence and ruthless determination to hunt down Kenobi, who has gone into hiding in the 10 years since the events of the third prequel film,.

Zack Sharf Moses Ingram recently told The Independent that Lucasfilm executives warned her that she would likely face harassment online from racist “Star Wars” trolls as a Black woman entering the franchise in the upcoming series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” POC actors such as John Boyega and Kelly Marie Train faced their own racism from toxic fans when they joined the “Star Wars” franchise.“It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,’” Ingram said.Moses, whose credits include Emmy winner “The Queen’s Gambit” and Oscar nominee “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” stars opposite Ewan McGregor in the show.

The next big “Star Wars” series that has yet to go into production is the mysterious project only known as “The Acolyte” that is gathering steam after actress Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give“) reportedly landed the lead role. While we don’t know a lot of details, it’s confirmed that the new show takes place during The High Republic, a new era of “Star Wars” that was launched for a publication push for books and comic books, a hundred years before the events of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Set between The Old Republic and the Skywalker Saga, the show will indeed move away from the Skywalkers but Jedi such as Yoda are alive during this era, allowing for original/prequel trilogy characters to make their comebacks.

Obi-Wan Kenobi as the “most diverse” Star Wars project.The actor, best known for her role in The Queen’s Gambit, is set to star opposite Ewan McGregor in the latest Star Wars series for Disney+. Ingram will star as Inquisitor Reva, an underling of Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).Speaking about the series in a new interview with the Independent, Ingram said: “Obi-Wan is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before.

Disney+ Star Wars titles.Christensen originally starred as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in two of the Star Wars prequels – 2002’s Attack Of The Clones and 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith, with the films and Christensen himself receiving harsh criticism from fans at the time.Speaking about the backlash in a new interview with the Guardian, Christensen said: “I guess the impression that I got from (director) George Lucas was that if they don’t like them, then they don’t ‘get’ it – and that was good enough for me.”It’s been confirmed that Christensen will be reprising his role in both the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series as well as appearing in Ahshoka.“It just seemed like a really exciting opportunity,” he said. “It was a no-brainer.

Epic Games has confirmed that an Obi-Wan Kenobi skin will be available in Fortnite from next week.Starting May 26, players will be able to get their hands on the Obi-Wan Kenobi outfit alongside an Obi-Wan Back Bling featuring an “assortment of tools perfect for living an isolated existence on a remote desert planet.” Players can also get Obi-Wan’s Blade Pickaxe, Jedi Interceptor Glider and Obi-Wan’s Message Emote.Items can be purchased individually or as part of a bundle that also features the Kenobi Surrounded Loading Screen.Claim the high ground in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Cup starting on Sunday, May 22!Find out more: https://t.co/tvqXFznZvz pic.twitter.com/EwfcNA1hEx— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) May 20, 2022If players are impatient though, they can take part in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Cup this Sunday (May 22) for a chance to get their hands on the items before they hit the shop.Announcing the Battle Royale Duos tournament, Fortnite said: “The road lies before you, but you don’t have to walk it alone in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Cup. And yes, Lightsabers and E-11 Blaster Rifles will return in this Cup!”“Competitors can play up to ten matches within their region’s three-hour time window, and the specific event timing for each region can currently be found in the Compete tab in-game.” Players will get 25 points for a victory royale, 22 for coming in second place all the way down to one point for being the first person out.At the end of the tournament, the top 1250 players in Europe will win the Obi-Wan Kenobi In-Game Cosmetic Outfit and Back Bling with other regions having their own leaderboards.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorEpic Games’ Fortnite is feeling The Force again.Under a pact with Disney’s Lucasfilm, Obi-Wan Kenobi is coming to Fortnite’s item shop next week — with an outfit and gear based on Ewan McGregor’s turn as the fabled Jedi Master in the forthcoming Disney+ series.Kenobi made a brief appearance in Fortnite on May the 4th (Star Wars Day), bringing his lightsaber to the island. Now Obi-Wan Kenobi is finally coming to the Fortnite Item Shop on Thursday, May 26, at 8 p.m.