A baseless rumor about Ewan McGregor exiting the planned Disney+ show exploring Obi-Wan Kenobi’s life set the internet ablaze earlier today. Fan reactions quickly overcame the popularity of the original rumor, leaving unaware fans confused about the source of this news.
Videos by Suggest
The story is totally false. The whole ordeal seems to have originated from a parody account on Twitter. Two days ago, the account @DicsussingFilm made a tweet citing a Disney+ source that McGregor had exited the show over “creative differences.” The tweet seems to have flown under the radar for a day or two before exploding in popularity.
The account shares the same display name as the legitimate site DiscussingFilm but has the purposefully misspelled account name. The account’s bio explicitly mentions that it’s a parody, but it seems like most users didn’t check out the account. They explained to one of the confused fans in the replies of the original tweet.
“It is a joke,” they wrote. “This got blown way out of proportion.”
We’d have to agree. Fans simply took the account’s name for truth and reacted without looking into the source of the claims. Only Siths deal in absolutes and all, but this rumor was absolutely just a joke.
Always Two There Are, Kenobi
The spike in the tweet’s popularity may be related to the second source of the cancellation catastrophe. Earlier today, the site FandomWire published a story about Disney axing the series outright. The piece comes complete with something Gossip Cop is extremely familiar with — anonymous “sources.” The site seems to have used the same strategy as the tabloids. By hiding behind unnamed “insiders,” one can claim just about anything as fact while shirking responsibility. We couldn’t find any verified facts in the site’s claim.
TheWrap seems to be just as frustrated by the questionable claims as we are. The publication ran the situation by McGregor’s spokespeople. According to the outlet, McGregor’s reps said there was no truth to the cancellation or quitting rumors. Disney and the actor are still planning to move forward with the show.
While the details surrounding the Kenobi series are limited, we know that it will explore the Jedi master’s life between The Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Ewan McGregor’s expressed excitement and enthusiasm about returning to the role, and he’s actually the source of most of the details we know about the project. It’d be an extreme shock to learn that he’d abandoned the role, so we’d advise taking any more rumors about the star with a grain of Crait’s salt.
Other sites republished the claim without looking into it, including We Got This Covered. The site previously appeared on Gossip Cop for posting an unchecked claim about Brie Larson secretly playing a second role in Kong: Skull Island. Gossip Cop will continue to fact-check any more rumors about the entertainment world — even if they are just a case of mistaken identity.