Again: if you're keeping score, I'm not a Superbowl fanatic. Nor do I get jazzed by watching commercials. I can appreciate a good coming attractions trailer as much as the next Tom, Dick, or Harry ... but I found some of the behind-the-scenes drama involving Walt Disney's latest announcement involving its Kenobi series to be pretty damn funny.
For those of you unaware, here's a bit of a summary.
Some time last week, the Mouse House made the formal statement involving the slimmest of particulars for the Kenobi series to air on Disney+. In all honesty, you probably couldn't say less about the popular property if you tried; and the press release's sole intent was basically just to broadcast the show's air date. FYI: it's set to blast off into hyperspace on May 25th.
Anyway ...
Someone somewhere sometime last week also made the statement that, lo and behold, Disney would be releasing a super-secret trailer for the new show during the world's biggest marketing blitz ever -- the Superbowl. Naturally, such an announcement had legions of fans around the world tuning in ... and all of this was based on a rumor.
For those of you too young to know this, George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace made history when, in November 1998, Lucasfilm itself announced that the film's trailer would be released on November 17th attached to the films The Waterboy, Meet Joe Black, and The Siege. As this film would be Lucas's return to the saga that both made him famous and built a veritable screen empire, fans raced to buy tickets to these films for the day in question ... and ticket sales went through the roof. This is how hungry fandom was for a return to the galaxy far, far away; and the box office definitely benefitted from letting them know how, when, and where to capture that first look.
So it's natural that a trailer for Kenobi might draw similar results, and I suspect that's exactly what our rumor monger thought he (or she) would create by making the suggestion on the Information Superhighway that it was going to be aired during the Superbowl.
Can you imagine mankind's disappointment?
I popped onto 'The Twitter' a few times during the night to see if the trailer had aired. What kept me going back, however, were the infinite number of posts waxing on about their continued disappointment that it hadn't aired yet, it didn't look like it would be airing, now it's too late for Disney to air it, what was Disney thinking in not airing it during the game, who in the Hell started the damn rumor anyway, WHY DO I ALWAYS BELIEVE THE CRAP I READ ON THE INTERNET?!?! It was like an old comedy skit: as the night wore on, these peoples' frustration was clearly through the roof.
Sorry, but those of us on the cultural sidelines really got a laugh at your expense.
In any event, here's the text from Disney's announcement last week. Enjoy!
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the new Disney+ limited series from Lucasfilm, will debut exclusively on Disney+ May 25. The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master.
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The series also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor and Joby Harold."
For those of you unaware, here's a bit of a summary.
Some time last week, the Mouse House made the formal statement involving the slimmest of particulars for the Kenobi series to air on Disney+. In all honesty, you probably couldn't say less about the popular property if you tried; and the press release's sole intent was basically just to broadcast the show's air date. FYI: it's set to blast off into hyperspace on May 25th.
Anyway ...
Someone somewhere sometime last week also made the statement that, lo and behold, Disney would be releasing a super-secret trailer for the new show during the world's biggest marketing blitz ever -- the Superbowl. Naturally, such an announcement had legions of fans around the world tuning in ... and all of this was based on a rumor.
For those of you too young to know this, George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace made history when, in November 1998, Lucasfilm itself announced that the film's trailer would be released on November 17th attached to the films The Waterboy, Meet Joe Black, and The Siege. As this film would be Lucas's return to the saga that both made him famous and built a veritable screen empire, fans raced to buy tickets to these films for the day in question ... and ticket sales went through the roof. This is how hungry fandom was for a return to the galaxy far, far away; and the box office definitely benefitted from letting them know how, when, and where to capture that first look.
So it's natural that a trailer for Kenobi might draw similar results, and I suspect that's exactly what our rumor monger thought he (or she) would create by making the suggestion on the Information Superhighway that it was going to be aired during the Superbowl.
Can you imagine mankind's disappointment?
I popped onto 'The Twitter' a few times during the night to see if the trailer had aired. What kept me going back, however, were the infinite number of posts waxing on about their continued disappointment that it hadn't aired yet, it didn't look like it would be airing, now it's too late for Disney to air it, what was Disney thinking in not airing it during the game, who in the Hell started the damn rumor anyway, WHY DO I ALWAYS BELIEVE THE CRAP I READ ON THE INTERNET?!?! It was like an old comedy skit: as the night wore on, these peoples' frustration was clearly through the roof.
Sorry, but those of us on the cultural sidelines really got a laugh at your expense.
In any event, here's the text from Disney's announcement last week. Enjoy!
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the new Disney+ limited series from Lucasfilm, will debut exclusively on Disney+ May 25. The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master.
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The series also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor and Joby Harold."
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