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Never has the involvement of Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars movies (and TV shows) been as exciting as when he was cast in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show to return to the role of Darth Vader. Of course, the Sith Lord once known as Anakin Skywalker remains the most famous role of the now 40-year-old Canadian actor, even though he has actually given really good performances in some interesting films over the years to follow. Therefore, I think we should take the time we have before this new series set in a galaxy far, far away premieres to revisit (or even discover) some other notable Hayden Christensen movies on streaming, starting with one that actually came out in between Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of Sith, but should not unnoticed.
Shattered Glass (2003)
The newly appointed Editor-in-Chief (Peter Sarsgaard) for The New Republic magazine begins to suspect that one of his most successful reporters (Hayden Christensen) has not been completely honest about the sources behind his most notable stories or even the whole stories themselves.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Anyone who has ever doubted Hayden Christensen’s acting ability needs to see his performance as Stephen Glass in Shattered Glass, an engrossing retelling of the astonishing true story of how the disgraced journalist faked his way through most of his writing career.
Stream Shattered Glass on Tubi.
Rent Shattered Glass on Amazon.
Factory Girl (2006)
A wealthy socialite (Sienna Miller) is torn between her friendship with pop art revolutionary Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce) and her romance with a popular folk music singer (Hayden Christensen) in 1960s New York City.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: While also inspired by true events, it should be noted that any allusions to Bob Dylan in Hayden Christensen’s performance as “Musician” in Factory Girl should not be taken as completely factual in this otherwise raw, striking vision of the tragic life of actress and model Edie Sedgwick.
Stream Factory Girl on Amazon Prime.
Awake (2007)
A wealthy man (Hayden Christensen) finds himself conscious and fully sensitive, but unable to respond, while undergoing a risky heart transplant that turns out to be more threatening than he had initially anticipated.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Not to be confused with the entirely different sci-fi, 2021 Netflix movie of the same title, Awake is a clever little thriller driven by Hayden Christensen’s performance (predominantly a voice over) that many would argue was misunderstood by most critics when it was first released, including the late Roger Ebert, even.
Virgin Territory (2007)
A retelling of The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-Century anthology, but instead of young women seeking refuge from the Black Plague through storytelling, they turn to the physical act of love.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: If you are intrigued by the idea of a sex comedy in the vein of American Pie spliced with a period piece set in feudal Europe and featuring Hayden Christensen trading in lightsaber duels for traditional swordplay, Virgin Territory is the film for you.
Stream Virgin Territory on Tubi.
Rent Virgin Territory on Amazon.
Jumper (2008)
A young man (Hayden Christensen) with the ability to teleport wherever he wants becomes the target of a secret society that has been hunting people with his gift for centuries.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen trades in his Sith powers for a new kind of power that puts him at odds with Samuel L. Jackson once again in Jumper - a fast-paced sci-fi thriller from director Doug Liman that was also, arguably, misunderstood for its time, but has since received a cult following.
New York, I Love You (2008)
A pair of jewelers (Irrfan Khan and Natalie Portman) bond over more than diamonds, a music editor (Orlando Bloom) falling for a video director’s assistant (Christina Ricci) over the phone, and a couple (Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman) trying to enjoy their 63rd anniversary are just three of the eleven stories featured in this romantic anthology set in the Big Apple.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen is reunited with his Jumper co-star and real-life romantic partner Rachel Bilson to play a pickpocket and the married woman he falls for in the first segment of New York, I Love You - a star-studded, Americanized counterpart to 2006’s Paris, je t’aime.
Stream New York, I Love You on Tubi.
Stream New York, I Love You on Kanopy.
Stream New York, I Love You on Pluto TV.
Stream New York, I Love You on Vudu.
Rent New York, I Love You on Amazon.
Takers (2010)
A seasoned group of professional thieves find their latest plans for a multi-million dollar bank heist threatened by the relentless efforts of a veteran detective (Matt Dillon) in Los Angeles.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen is part of an impressive all-star cast (including Golden Globe winner Idris Elba, rapper turned Marvel movies star Tip “T.I.” Harris, and the late Paul Walker) in Takers - an old school heist film from the director of Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Stream Takers on Amazon Prime.
Vanishing On 7th Street (2010)
A married man (Hayden Christensen) wakes up to find that he is one of the few remaining souls on Earth to not mysteriously disappear after Detroit suffers a massive blackout.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen once again joins an impressive cast (including Emmy winning Westworld cast member Thandiwe Newton and John Wick’s John Leguizamo) in Vanishing on 7th Street - a strange, apocalyptic thriller that feels like if I Am Legend had its DNA spliced with Darkness Falls.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on Amazon Prime.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on Tubi.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on Pluto TV.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on Crackle.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on YouTube.
Stream Vanishing On 7th Street on Vudu.
Rent Vanishing On 7th Street on Amazon.
American Heist (2014)
A reformed criminal (Hayden Christensen) is lured back into his old habits by his desperate older brother (Adrien Brody), who was recently released from prison after taking the blame for a job the siblings committed together years earlier.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen has the honor of sharing the screen with Academy Award winner Adrien Brody in American Heist - a more serious crime drama from Russian director Sarik Andreasyan.
Stream American Heist on Plex.
Stream American Heist on Vudu.
Rent American Heist on Amazon.
Outcast (2014)
A mysterious, young warrior (Hayden Christensen) enlists the help of his ally-turned-rival (Nicolas Cage) to help protect a brother and sister from their uncle, who wishes to see them dead in order to inherit the throne in 12th-Century China.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen has the honor of sharing the screen with Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage in Outcast - a more serious period piece directed by veteran stuntman Nick Powell.
Stream Outcast on Amazon Prime.
First Kill (2017)
A Wall Street stockbroker (Hayden Christensen) is forced to betray the trust of a police chief he has known since childhood (Bruce Willis) in order to retrieve his son from vicious criminals after a hunting trip in his hometown goes horribly wrong.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen has the honor of sharing the screen with Bruce Willis in First Kill - another intense crime drama from director Steven C. Miller, who has actually worked with the Die Hard star on several other small budget action films.
Little Italy (2018)
The son of a pizzeria owner (Hayden Christensen) falls in love with the daughter (Emma Roberts) of another family who own their longtime rival restaurant in Canada.
Why it’s a Hayden Christensen movie worth watching: Hayden Christensen has the honor of sharing the screen with American Horror Story cast alum Emma Roberts in Little Italy - a modern take on the story of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet from Mystic Pizza director Donald Petrie.
You know, when the Obi-Wan Kenobi series premieres on Disney+ (possibly sometime in 2022), it will actually not be the first time that Hayden Christensen will have reprised Anakin Skywalker since 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of Sith. The actor had a very brief cameo 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as the voice of the former Darth Vader from beyond the grave. I guess that and the thematically diverse titles available to stream above prove that you never really can expect where the actor will appear next.
