11 Best Recast Movie Roles Of All Time

Alec Guinness' performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars in 1977 is the kind of performance that has taken on a mythic quality. He's only in it for sections of the first two acts before getting killed off. And sure, he appears as a force ghost a couple of times throughout the rest of the original trilogy, but for all intents and purposes, his performance begins and ends in A New Hope.

So when Lucas was casting roles for the prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the ones with the most potential for greatness. And luckily for audiences everywhere, Ewan McGregor delivered the goods.

Using Guinness' performance as a foundation and end-point to build towards, McGregor wonderfully embodies a young Obi-Wan. He nails the tics and nuances of Gunness' performance, without ever feeling like an imitation. With subsequent installment in the prequel trilogy, McGregor's performance grows better and that much closer to that of Guinness'.

By the time Revenge of the Sith rolled around, McGregor was an expert at the role and delivered a performance so iconic that fans continue to clamor for a Kenobi-centric spin-off which would allow him to reprisde the role and grow even closer to Guinness' work.