The cast of Disney+’s upcoming Lucasfilm series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” is already stacked, but at least one more actor is joining the “Star Wars” fray. Comedienne Maya Erskine, known for Hulu‘s hit cringe comedy “PEN 15,” is joining the cast in an undisclosed role.
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The actress, who has also appeared on “The Insecure” and “Scoob!” is said to have a supporting role in at least three episodes. Speaking on the length of the show, Deadline who reveals this news, brings a little clarity to the duration of the series. At one point, the series was said to be six episodes and then four episodes in length. Evidently, the special even mini-series, as it has been billed, is now confirmed as six one-hour episodes in length. Don’t expect a season two; this is a one-off to fill in the gap on Obi-Wan’s story from his time in self-imposed exile on Tatooine.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” has a big cast that includes Moses Ingram, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and filmmaker/actor Benny Safdie. On top of that, Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, and Joel Edgerton will return as Luke Skywalker’s uncle, Uncle Owen Lars. Edgerton played Owen Lars in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, with brief appearances in “Attack Of The Clones” and “Revenge Of The Sith.”
This clearly bodes well for an appearance of a younger Luke Skywalker, perhaps in brief or passing: Obi-Wan’s entire role, post “Revenge of The Sith” is to quietly guard a young Luke Skywalker from a distance on Tatooine where he patiently waits for 19 years for the boy to come of age. Lucasfilm has confirmed that the series is set ten years after the events of “Revenge of the Sith” (and nine years before “A New Hope”), and that would make Luke roughly about 10 years old.
While many assumed any story involving Obi-Wan in the post-Order 66 years would be set on Tatooine with a threat coming towards Skywalker, the series is said to be an off-world adventure.
This is quite a dark time we’re coming into with him,” series director Deborah Chow said months ago. “Just being a Jedi is not safe. There are Jedi hunters out there… We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Vader. We all definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again.”
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Jedi Hunters are a reference to the Inquisitors, a group of Force-sensitive evil-doers trained by Darth Vader in the ways of the Sith, tasked to hunt out remaining Jedi. Throughout “Star War” lore during this dark time, they have been instrumental in sniffing out remaining Jedi (like on “Star Wars Rebels“), so don’t be surprised if they become a crucial factor in jumpstarting the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” story. ‘Obi-Wan’ is currently in pre-production, and Deadline says it’s due to shoot any day now.