On May 25, 2022, Obi-Wan Kenobi will see many iconic Star Wars actors transported to the modern era. The Disney+ original series will see Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan for the first time in 17 years. It will also see the return of Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. Bonnie Piesse will also be reprising her role as Beru Lars (Luke Skywalker’s aunt).
Obi-Wan Kenobi occurs 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. It sees Obi-Wan keeping his oath to self-exile to Tatooine to watch over young Luke Skywalker. However, his exile makes him vulnerable to Jedi Hunters and Imperial Inquisitors who wish to destroy all remnants of the Jedi Order. Darth Vader’s growing power and the Inquisitors’ hunt will take Obi-Wan on an unexpected adventure.
The official trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped on March 9th and was rife with nostalgia for Star Wars fans. The trailer revealed McGregor’s return and the terrifying Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend). However, fans were very much intrigued by a more subtle reveal—that of young Luke Skywalker. Fans were immediately smitten with the short clip of a young boy pretending to pod race.
Who plays young Luke Skywalker?
Young Skywalker proves that the saying, “Like father, like son,” is true, with his pretend pod racing in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Skywalker’s appearance in the trailer raises the question of whom portrays him. However, the actor who portrays young Skywalker is currently unknown.
The Star Wars franchise has been fairly reluctant to recast Skywalker. The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett utilized CGI and de-aging techniques to create a digital mask of Mark Hamill to portray a younger Skywalker. Hamill’s voice was also de-aged and recreated using a computer synthesizer.
However, the Skywalker of Obi-Wan Kenobi is much younger than the Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Thus, the series will have no choice but to recast him as a very young actor. Skywalker’s tender 10 years, however, means that many actors who have expressed interest in the role, such as Sebastian Stan or even Jacob Tremblay (now 15), are too old to portray him in this particular series.
Most likely, Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Luke Skywalker is a young newcomer to the Star Wars franchise. While this young actor is unknown, his role is very important for the series. Skywalker will be roughly the same age that Anakin was in The Phantom Menace. Casting an actor who resembles the young Anakin actor, Jake Lloyd, would aid in the nostalgia factor of Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, Lloyd was also mercilessly bullied for his role as young Anakin and got his fair share of The Phantom Menace‘s criticism. The young boy who plays Skywalker in Obi-Wan Kenobi will have quite big shoes to fill and faces quite a bit of pressure as the next Star Wars child actor.
(Image: Disney)
