Ewan McGregor pays tribute to George Lucas hinting at involvement on Obi-Wan Kenobi

Watch: Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen pay tribute to Star Wars creator George Lucas

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor has paid tribute to Star Wars creator George Lucas on the eve of his own return to the hit franchise.

"I like George [Lucas]," McGregor tells Yahoo ahead of the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ on Friday, who says he last crossed paths with Lucas in March at the Producers Guild Awards.

"I like very much when I see him," McGregor adds. "He's such a funny character, I always have a laugh with George, I always enjoy his company."

Read more: McGregor more excited for Kenobi than last two prequels

The new series sees the Trainspotting star reprising the role of exiled Jedi Obi-Wan 17 years after he last played him in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Lucas wrote and directed all three of the Star Wars prequels in which McGregor played the role originally inhabited by Sir Alec Guinness. Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and hasn't played an active part in Star Wars since, but did visit the set of The Mandalorian.

Although he admits he hasn't spoke to Lucas about the new show, McGregor hinted that the 78-year-old filmmaker had been in conversation with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy and Obi-Wan Kenobi showrunner Deborah Chow about the new series.

Read more: Everything new on Disney+ in May

"My understanding is that there was a discussion with Kathleen Kennedy, Deborah Chow and George as far as I know," shares McGregor.

"They didn't involve me! I wasn't invited!"

Hayden Christensen, who also returns to the Star Wars fold in Obi-Wan Kenobi playing Darth Vader, admits he hasn't spoken with Lucas 'in a little bit' saying he deferred to Chow instead, and that was 'the relationship I was focussed on.'

Read more: George Lucas' plans for sequel trilogy revealed

Obi-Wan-Kenobi begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan 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.

McGregor's Kenobi is living his life in exile on Tatooine keeping a watchful but distant eye on Vader's son Luke Skywalker, while Vader continues on his mission to wipe out the last of Jedi.

Lucas previously offered notes on 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with Kathleen Kennedy telling EW: “We sat down with George for a long meeting before we ever put pen to paper on this final episode, so we had the benefit of his thoughts.

“We took a lot of notes. As Yoda would say, there’s great responsibility that goes with doing this, and I think we all take that seriously.”

The extent of his involvement on Obi-Wan Kenobi remains to be seen.

Obi-Wan Kenobi launches with two episodes on Disney+ on Friday, 27 May, with episodes released weekly thereafter. Watch a trailer below.