The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney Plus recast its young Luke Skywalker during development, according to reports.
The Hollywood Reporter says that relative newcomer Grant Feely – who previously appeared in an episode of the Shudder anthology series Creepshow – will now be playing the child version of the legendary Jedi Master in the series after changes were made to the original script.
It is not clear who was previously in line to play Luke, but is understood that the original actor had not shot any scenes before the change was made.
The recasting is one change among many in what THR described as a “creative overhaul” of the series that took place midway through development.
Another reported alteration was the removal of Darth Maul from the show, with original actor Ray Park having apparently at one point been very close to reprising his role as the villain in the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast.
In the end, though, it was said that the creative team decided to go in a different direction, with Darth Vader set to be the big bad in the series and Maul not expected to appear at all.
It’s worth noting that a Lucasfilm source denied Maul was ever intended to feature in the series, and dismissed claims that Park was on set for pre-production or had undergone any stunt training.
According to the reports, the changes were made in part because the writers were concerned that the new series would be covering too similar ground to the existing Star Wars Disney Plus show The Mandalorian, and so a fairly radical overhaul was made to prevent this from happening.
The first teaser trailer for the new series was released earlier in March, offering fans a glimpse of Ewan McGregor’s long-awaited return as the title character and teasing a major confrontation to come with the Empire.
Read more: Who is the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Obi-Wan Kenobi comes to Disney Plus on 25th May. Sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.
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