Disney and Lucasfilm’s plans for the future of the Star Wars franchise include a series centered on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now, a new rumor suggests Hayden Christensen may be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker in the forthcoming Disney+ series.
Canadian actor Hayden Christensen portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the final two chapters of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of Sith, but his performance as the fallen Jedi was not well-received by fans of the franchise. Since then, Christensen has gravitated towards smaller or lesser-known projects and only returned to the Star Wars franchise for a vocal cameo appearance in The Rise of Skywalker.
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YouTube channel Kessel Run Transmissions claims its source has told it that Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker will appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show through a series of flashbacks depicting key moments in the Clone Wars. The channel also alleges that Anakin will don the “clone armour” worn by the character in the animated Clone Wars series and that Darth Vader, the villain Skywalker eventually becomes, will also appear in the Disney+ show. Additional characters from the Clone Wars era reportedly returning include Commander Cody and the 212th Attack Battalion, though Disney has not confirmed these rumors.
The untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series was reportedly put on hold back in January due to script issues before John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum writer Joby Harold was brought on board to pen the project in April 2020. While production was originally scheduled to begin in 2020, the delays prompted Disney and Lucasfilm to push back the start date to January 2021. Additional projects being developed for Disney+ by Lucasfilm include a Rogue One prequel centered on Cassian Andor, a female-centric show from Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland, and animated series titled The Bad Batch.
While Hayden Christensen’s return to the Star Wars franchise may be a surprise considering the poor response to the character in the mid-2000s, feelings towards his performance and the prequel trilogy have grown more positive among a segment of the fan base. After The Rise of Skywalker concluded the sequel trilogy on what is widely perceived to be a negative note, credit has often been given the prequel trilogy for at least trying to tell a different story as opposed to rehashing elements from the original trilogy, a common criticism directed towards The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker.
On the other hand, even if attitudes towards Christensen’s performance haven’t changed, a return to the role of Anakin Skywalker might provide the actor with the opportunity to bow out of the franchise on a high note. After all, the Clone Wars series has arguably proven that the character can earn a fanbase if the writing strong enough.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series does not have an announced release date yet.
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Source: Kessel Run Transmissions
