Toshiro Mifune as Obi-Wan Kenobi?

So, I was reading up on Mr. Toshiro today, and I found out an interesting tidbit:

Apparently, George Lucas originally wanted to cast Toshiro Mifune as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film, but executive meddling made him cast a Western actor instead.

Needless to say, I immediately flipped out at how awesome that would have been.

However, how awesome it may or may not have been aside...

What sort of short-term effects do you think Mifune being casted as Obi-Wan Kenobi would have had on Star Wars itself, and what long-term effects do you think it would have had on both the Japanese and American film industries? Would Toshiro starring in such an important part in such an popular film (If it remains popular without the original Obi-Wan.) have shed light on his Japanese works to the American public at large, bringing American interest to Japanese media well before the great anime exportation in the 90s? Or would it have very little effect?
 
Yes, this would have been very interesting. And awesome.

Whether or not it would have generated much more interest in Japanese film is up for debate. I'm not sure Sir Alec's portrayal did much for interesting young Americans in British film at the time.

Part of the reason that this turns me off a little bit is that replacing the wise old "white guy" with a wise old "Asian guy" may turn the American perception of the film itself into something eastern and difficult to connect with on the surface. Everyone immediately understood the Force and the Jedi at the end of A New Hope, everything else was icing. If it had been an actor who was typically a "Samurai" actor, white (and even black) American audiences would probably see the Force as some... Hokey religion with ancient weapons...

I may just be talking out of my ass here but here's how I see it:

1. Mifune as Obi-Wan = Way cooler but pushes the franchise in a more obviously Eastern direction.

2. Sir Alec as Obi-Wan = Still cool enough, but less accessible to the audience of 1977 America.

On the other hand, depending on how he is scripted and how he decides to act the part (making it more of a Sir Alec kind of thing as opposed to the originally thought out Jedi-Bindu ideas which would have inevitably been thrust upon Mifune) Toshiro could enter a new wave of popularity in the States, and with him, the Kurosawa style of film making that so influenced Lucas.

Always an interest thought either way.
 
we've had this discussion before, I think.

Mifune has Previously been in Spanish Speaking films and put great effort into learning Spanish so he could speak it.

English wouldn't be a problem. by 1971 he was fluent enough to neglect the need for a Dubber.

by the 70s he would have parted ways with Kurosawa, so that's a none issue.

As for his impact, he would be fairly well known in the west by now.
Seeing an Old Asian man speak about the force might draw more of an Asian feel to it, but ultimately, I do not think it will make too much of a difference.

I don't think it will cause more Anime to be drawn to the USA, sense By then Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjiro and others would have made it to the USA, and those had relatively little impact.
 
Okay, let's say Mifune did portray Obi-Wan in the original SW movies.

Who would have been the younger Obi-Wan in the Prequel Trilogy (assuming that still happens in this timeline)?
 
John Cho? Only one year younger than MacGregor...

EDIT: Also, if Kenobi remains as Sir Alec, there's nothing to say that Frank Oz and Lucas can't decide to puppet up Mifune as a man sized Yoda. This changes that character's dimensions totally and for the better I think. Thoughts?
 
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John Cho? Only one year younger than MacGregor...

EDIT: Also, if Kenobi remains as Sir Alec, there's nothing to say that Frank Oz and Lucas can't decide to puppet up Mifune as a man sized Yoda. This changes that character's dimensions totally and for the better I think. Thoughts?

John Cho would be a good choice, IMO. He could certainly do the younger more action-oriented Obi-Wan we saw in the prequels (judging on his Sulu in the 2009 Star Trek movie).

On Yoda - what if he stays basically the same, but Mifune does his voice rather than Oz?
 
Okay, let's say Mifune did portray Obi-Wan in the original SW movies.

Who would have been the younger Obi-Wan in the Prequel Trilogy (assuming that still happens in this timeline)?

How about Donnie Yen? He is sometimes jokingly referred to as the "Most Powerful Man in the Universe" (literal Chinese translation) due to how he's pretty much curb-stomping everyone in all his movies. :cool:
 
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