Today a new report from MakingStarWars revealed that Jimmy Smits has reprised the role of Bail Organa for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
The inclusion of Bail Organa feels like a no brainer, especially given past leaks revealing that Leia Organa (played by Vivien Lyra Blair) will feature in the series and is rumoured to be the catalyst for Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine, but nonetheless it’s exciting to get reports that Bail will be making an appearance.
The report reveals that Smitts was seen filming with Ewan McGregor, and that Breha Organa is also in the series, but it is unclear if she’ll be played by Rebeca Jackson Mendoza. Personally I can back up the appearances of the Organa’s myself, including Leia being played by Vivien Lyra Blair which was first reported by Cinelinx.
I believe Smits was purposely left off of the casting announcement back in the Spring of 2021 intentionally in an attempt to not reveal the inclusion of Leia Organa, who will prove very important to the story Joby Harold and Deborah Chow are trying to tell.
Smits last played Bail Organa in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was his first time playing the character in live-action in over eleven years, but Smits did voice the character in the video game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in 2009. Following his appearance in Revenge of the Sith, Smits starred in multiple successful TV series including Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, How to Get Away with Murder, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series is set to premiere on May 25th exclusively on Disney+ and will star Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, along with Rupert Friend (Hitman: Agent 47), Joel Edgerton (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith), Benny Safdie (Good Time), Maya Erskine (PEN15), Bonnie Piesse (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones), O’Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton), Simone Kessell (San Andreas), Sung Kang (F9: The Fast Saga), Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones). The series has been written by Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Army of the Dead) and is directed by Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian, The Walking Dead).