With the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi bringing Ewan McGregor back to the franchise, it seems as though he could be continuing his portrayal with a modern reboot of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope alongside a new cast. With Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1, viewers got a closer look at Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker’s relationship during their years on Tatooine, but timeline rewatches will now jump from Golden Globe-winning actor Ewan McGregor to Emmy Award-winning actor Alec Guinness, who portrayed the original version of the character in A New Hope. While Guinness’ Kenobi is surely iconic in its own right, it would be interesting to imagine how different things in the film would be if McGregor took his place.
While it is unclear whether Obi-Wan Kenobi will continue as a TV series, there is only so much room for more stories revolving around Ewan McGregor’s portrayal before he hits up against established canon. While audiences were excited to see him return to the role for the first time since Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan’s fate in A New Hope and the rest of the original trilogy is already set in stone.
If McGregor has any chance to continue his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi outside the prequel trilogy and his mini-series, it appears the only way for Disney to keep him around is if they make a Star Wars: A New Hope reboot. While such an occurrence may seem sacrilegious to some, the idea in and of itself would surely yield a fascinating result. It also further opens up a conversation about not just the replacing of Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan, but also replacing the rest of the cast of the original classic. Here is a list of actors who could potentially take up each character’s mantle if the film were to be rebooted.
Cole Sprouse As Luke Skywalker
Famed by younger generations for his performances as Cody Martin in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Jughead Jones in Riverdale, Cole Sprouse certainly has the capacity to portray the starry-eyed Jedi-in-training, Luke Skywalker. The opportunity to play Luke could surely interest Sprouse as it would be a huge part as a famous leading protagonist. While certainly doing Mark Hamill’s original portrayal of Luke Skywalker as much justice as possible, Sprouse could also bring a new, charismatic charm to the character, making the role all his own, as well as making the character more well-rounded as a result.
Maisie Williams As Princess Leia Organa
Originally breaking into the acting scene as Arya Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams has since appeared in works like The New Mutants (2020), Gen:Lock, and Hulu’s 2022 miniseries Pistol. Maisie Williams would be a great choice to honor the late Carrie Fisher and step into the shoes and famous hair buns of Princess Leia. Williams has already demonstrated that she can command the witty and sassy demeanor that Leia is known for, not to mention the fact that she could utilize the skills she learned during her time with GoT to remind audiences that Leia is more than just a damsel in distress. Maisie Williams could most certainly give her all in a performance that would undoubtedly make Carrie Fisher proud.
Alden Ehrenreich As Han Solo
Star Wars audiences are already familiar with Alden Ehrenreich. Although he is critically acclaimed for his supporting role as Hobie Doyle in the 2016 Coen brothers’ film, Hail, Caesar!, Ehrenreich is more well-known nowadays for his portrayal of a younger Han Solo in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Unfortunately, the film depicting Han’s backstory ended up being a box office flop, and some blame Ehrenreich for it, while others (much as with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin) point to larger issues with the script and direction. A second chance at playing the Han Solo would be a great redemption for Ehrenreich, just as Christensen saw with his return as Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though he could be hesitant to take up the role a second time considering the backlash at his first go-around, it would definitely be a fitting success story for Alden Ehrenreich, and it could finally earn him the recognition he deserves for playing one of Harrison Ford’s most famous roles.
Hayden Christensen As Darth Vader
Ewan McGregor is not the only prequel character to return in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Hayden Christensen, who is most well-known for his performance as Anakin Skywalker, once again reprised his role as the terrifying Sith Lord Darth Vader. It would make a great deal of sense for him to accompany Ewan McGregor in a reboot of A New Hope, and Obi-Wan Kenobi would seem to suggest that he would be interested in returning. While for many years Christensen has been the butt of many Star Wars jokes (more often than not for his character’s opinion on sand) his triumphant return means that casting him as Vader would not only be suggested, it would be a necessity. Just as long as the illustrious James Earl Jones can continue to lend his voice when Vader is wearing his suit.
Joonas Suotamo As Chewbacca
While it might not always be obvious because of the costume, Chewbacca has already had two actors. The first portrayer and voice of Chewbacca was Peter Mayhew, who played him all throughout the original trilogy and Revenge of the Sith. However, as years went by, Mayhew passed on returning due to health concerns and as a result, he acquired a new protégé in Finnish basketball player-turned-actor Joonas Suotamo. Suotamo took up Mayhew’s mantle as the walking carpet and studied under him in order to play the part to the best of his ability. Suotamo played Chewie in both the sequel trilogy and Solo, and even shared the role with Mayhew while shooting The Force Awakens. Unfortunately, Mayhew died of a heart attack in 2019. Who better to continue his legacy in a reboot than Joonas Suotamo, his own apprentice?
Daniel Craig As Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
For the sinister general of the Galactic Empire, Grand Moff Tarkin (formerly played by the late Peter Cushing), two major choices can be argued. The first would be Guy Henry, who played the character at the end of Rogue One and whose face was digitally rendered to appear like Cushing. While Henry’s performance was a fine homage to his predecessor, for a full reboot, continuing to CGI Cushing could be rather controversial. A replacement Tarkin would be best found in famed James Bond actor, Daniel Craig. Craig has the bravado and the gravitas to match Moff Tarkin’s evil gait and his sense of dominance. This casting of Daniel Craig as Moff Tarkin would also play off the fact that Craig had a cameo in The Force Awakens where he played a stormtrooper.
Kevin Michael Richardson As Jabba The Hutt
In 1997, 20 years after the first release of A New Hope, the film was released into theaters a second time, but this time around, the audience came to find that several changes have been made. Computer-generated creatures and characters littered the screen, but the biggest change was the addition of several scenes that were previously deleted from the original cut of the film. One particular scene occurs in the Mos Eisley hangar when Han Solo attempts to board the Millenium Falcon but is stopped by Jabba The Hutt. The notorious gangster from Return of the Jedi comes back, not as a puppet, but as a fully rendered CGI character.
A natural choice for portraying Jabba The Hutt in A New Hope reboot would be Kevin Michael Richardson, famed voice actor and a cartoon everyman. Having voiced many recognizable characters in the past, including Captain Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, Joker in The Batman (2oo4), Principal Brian Lewis in American Dad!, and hundreds more, it makes sense that Richardson was called to lend his voice acting talent to Star Wars’ Jabba in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie in 2008. Having him reprise the role of the Hutt would most certainly be a major asset to such a small, seemingly one-off scene in A New Hope.
Daniel Logan As Boba Fett
In the same scene that Jabba appears, there are several henchman to the Hutt that surround his and Han Solo’s conversation. Among them is the recognizable jetpack and helmet of Boba Fett. While the character himself has no speaking role in the film, his presence just further adds to the specialness of this once-deleted scene. Although Boba’s most well-known actor Temura Morrison is a good choice for playing the bounty hunter, it could be argued that another Boba actor would be better for the role. Daniel Logan, who, as a child, played young Boba Fett, Jango Fett’s son, in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Logan has since lent his voice to Boba Fett in the past for multiple animated projects. It would be a nice homage to both Ewan McGregor and other prequel stars having another one of theirs in the reboot, especially for a character so significant to the Star Wars universe. For both Jabba The Hutt and Boba Fett it might be expected that, as fan favorites, their roles in a reboot could end up being significantly larger.
Anthony Daniels As C-3PO
There is only one character in A New Hope that seems absolutely irreplaceable, everyone’s favorite protocol droid, the one and only C-3PO. While several actors have been bounced around for playing him, including the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Daniel Radcliffe, recasting might not be necessary. With a character and voice so iconic and synonymous with the Star Wars franchise, only one man alone can portray him: his original actor, Anthony Daniels. Daniels has been playing C-3PO since the very beginning. With every cinematic release that featured the character, he is always the one to play the droid. While it could be argued that his actor should change along with most of the cast, as with James Earl Jones, sometimes there is no beating a classic. Plus, it would be a pleasant reminder to the viewers of where the franchise started, and how far it has come. It would certainly bring a strong sense of symbolism and meaning to any potential Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope reboot.
