Star Wars: A Great Disturbance In The Force? Nope.
Rumors, Parody & Innuendo Initially Cast Doubt On Disney+ Obi-Wan Series….
I got out of vocational work and, as I begin my avocational evening research, I see…
That’s a parody account. There are rumors about it not connected to that and people are trying to confirm. https://t.co/P2kWYDwp5R
— ManaByte (@ManaByte) January 17, 2020
Okay, fair enough. Parody account. Rumors. Yada. Yada. Yada.
But then I saw this:
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) January 17, 2020
Notice the time stamp.
And Mike Ryan is a “Senior Entertainment Writer, Uproxx. I also used to work for HuffPost. I’ve written for Vanity Fair, Wired, and New York mag.”
So, this time it’s not a parody account. Ohhh. Kayyy.
Anyway, watching the feeds, it’s hard not to wonder what is going on over at Lucasfilm; what with the scripts floating around, etc.
Then, there are rumors floating — admittedly third-hand — about a shakeup at the creative executive level, where Jon Favreau/Dave Filoni now have the final say. We’ll call that my shaky source – one that I wouldn’t base a story on, btw. It’s not verified. It’s third hand. Etc.
Again, rumors.
Then, WeGotThisCovered.com posted:
According to the folks over at FandomWire, Lucasfilm has pulled the plug on the show, canceling it before it even had the chance to get going. The outlet doesn’t specify why exactly it’s been axed, and Disney has yet to comment on this, but FW has a decent track record when it comes to scoops and their report is being backed up by multiple people on Twitter, so it does seem that indeed the show is dead.
And the FandomWire story cites – nobody.
BUT.
Later, a story was posted on GamesRader saying how thin the basis for the rumors were…
That GamesRadar piece, saying not to panic, was deleted.
But then I see:
RE: The Kenobi thing… I've had two highly reliable peeps tell me two very different things. Based on stuff I've seen very recently, I'm leaning towards: probably nothing to worry about.
Sorry I can't be more helpful. pic.twitter.com/OyDElKZgEw
— Jordan Maison (@JordanMaison) January 17, 2020
So I ate my Friday night grinder (steak and cheese, new place, pretty good) in peace. Sort’ve.
I jumped into the DM’s of someone I trust, and they’ve heard bubkus.
Finally, two folks I really, really trust post:
Seconding this, our sources tell us the rumor of Ewan McGregor dropping out of the Disney+ series are NOT true. https://t.co/nmI5Rt3gp8
— Clayton Sandell (@Clayton_Sandell) January 18, 2020
Clayton and Anthony are the real deal. But their tweets told me that…
a.) There was at least a question in their minds as to whether the rumors were true.
b.) Real reporters sought facts. Found none. And stood down.
So, as I sit here typing a post almost 30 years since I first hand wrote a piece that ended up in the Hartford Courant, I can tell you that there often IS smoke where there’s fire. Sometimes it’s just fog. And, as someone who has been working in and around PR offices since 1996, sometimes that fog is artificially generated.
Am I annoyed w/the parody account. Yes. But leaks do happen and many of us are invested in the truth. So an exploration of the rumors & whatnot is actually healthy if you keep perspective. The reaction to such news gives insight to news at the highest levels. #journalism matters.
— John Bishop (@jmbishopjr) January 18, 2020
The bottom line, kids? Be informed consumers of information. And remember it’s still a saga about space wizards and robots in outer space.
