If Joel Edgerton Is In Obi-Wan Season 2, He Knows One Thing For Sure [Exclusive]
In a film full of white hats and black hats, Owen Lars occupies an unusual place in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." Luke Skywalker's gruff but loving relative is a working-class stiff. Where his nephew can't stop looking to the horizon, Owen regards the Galactic Civil War as none of his business and believes in keeping his head down. It's all too easy for him to cling stubbornly to his apolitical position; when you've spent your entire life working as a moisture farmer on the backwater planet of Tatooine, all that fuss about Rebellions and Empires probably starts to sound like white noise.
By the time we catch up with Owen in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (a series that takes place roughly nine years before the events of "A New Hope"), he's already begun settling into his fence-straddling ways. When Obi-Wan — sorry, "Ben" — approaches him about getting Luke's Force training underway, Owen dismisses him out of hand. As far as he's concerned, the Jedi are nothing but trouble and there's naught to be done about the Empire but to avoid calling attention to yourself. Of course, he and Obi-Wan eventually come to an understanding, with the latter vowing to keep his distance from Luke after briefly meeting him (a promise the wily Obi-Wan likely never had any intent of keeping).
With their business settled, would there even be a place for Owen in the rumored but not yet confirmed "Obi-Wan Kenobi" season 2? Actor Joel Edgerton, who plays the younger version of the character, has no idea. However, as he told /Film's Ben Pearson during a recent interview, he definitely knows what Owen will be wearing, should he make an appearance.
Owen is a man of simple fashion tastes
The thing about "Star Wars" actors is nobody knows what's happening with the franchise, whether they know something or not. So, naturally, when Pearson chatted with Edgerton and director George Clooney about their upcoming true-story sports drama, "The Boys in the Boat," Edgerton professed to be firmly in the dark when it comes to "Obi-Wan Kenobi" season 2.
"I haven't heard," he insisted. "Either it's happening and they don't want me ... ("Not possible," Clooney assured him) or it ... I don't know, I haven't, no. The short answer is no, I haven't. And I'm not even faking that I don't know."
Unlike life, however, there is one certainty when it comes to Owen's future and it's not that nothing is certain. As Edgerton put it:
"But, if it does happen and I am in it, I'll probably be wearing brown, or some shade of brown. That's all I know."
Yeah ... that's the thing about Owen. As fun as it is to imagine he went through an unexpected rebellious phase at some point after the events of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (call it his mid-life crisis), it wouldn't exactly square with the stick-in-the-mud fellow we see in "A New Hope." Then again, one of Owen's more endearing traits is the protectiveness he feels towards Luke. If Obi-Wan needed his help on a mission to keep his nephew safe, surely Owen would be willing to tag along with him? Such a storyline would also make it easier for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" season 2 to avoid falling victim to the same prequel problems that tripped up season 1. Not to mention, it would be a better use of Edgerton's talents.
It's something to think about. In the meantime, you can catch "The Boys in the Boat" in theaters starting December 25, 2023.