Comedian Kumail Nanjiani is having quite the career trajectory right now, with the actor not only set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in this year's Eternals, but also the other huge now-owned-by-Disney franchise, Star Wars. Nanjiani has scored a role in the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he has now teased the unique aspect of his character which he describes as "a new version of a type of Star Wars character we've seen before."

"My agents called me and it was the whole group of them that never call you. And I was like, 'OK, this is either amazing news or really awful news.' And they're like, 'They want you to play a part in Obi-Wan, and apparently it's substantial.' So then I talked to [director Deborah Chow] and we had a great conversation. And the character sounded awesome - I was so excited about this character. We haven't seen this exact thing in Star Wars yet. This is like a new version of a type of Star Wars character we've seen before."

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Not only will Nanjiani's role in the Star Wars series be "substantial", but it also sounds like his mysterious character will be something that audiences have never quite seen before, twisting something familiar into something more unexpected. What exactly the actor means by this remains to be seen, but considering that Obi-Wan Kenobi is set after the events of Revenge of the Sith and before the original Star Wars trilogy, there will be plenty of opportunities for the show to introduce lesser-known or even brand-new elements during this largely unexplored period of time.

While we await to see whether Kumail Nanjiani is an extra-terrestrial, a human, a Jedi, a Sith, or something in between, the actor reveals how quickly he was tempted to the idea of joining another tentpole franchise alongside the MCU. Discussing his first discussion with Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow, Nanjiani said, "And she was trying to sell me on it. And I was like, 'I was gonna do it before the conversation!' It was kind of perfect. Right after quarantine I got to do a job, in town, and it was in Star Wars. It was just the most joyful first job back possible. I didn't know how I could beat the experience I've had, which is a Marvel movie with Chloé Zhao, who is amazing, and maybe the greatest cast ever assembled, and then have Obi-Wan as the next thing, with another really fantastic cast. Ewan McGregor! Really? I don't know where I go from there. [Laughs.] And so I decided to walk into the middle of the woods."

Starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi begins ten years after the events of 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, picking up with the legendary Jedi master as he watches over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, before taking the character on an adventure that will lead to him once again facing off with friend-turned-enemy Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in 2022, and will consist of six episodes. Meanwhile, Nanjiani will make his Marvel debut in Eternals which is due for release on November 5, 2021. This comes to us from Rolling Stone.

Topics: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars