Strange as it may be, Star Wars' TV future is much brighter than its feature side. (Not that there's anything less than remarkable about Taika Waititi's new gig.) The franchise's most exciting upcoming project is arguably Disney+'s limited Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is bringing the prequel trilogy's Ewan McGregor back to Jedi Knighthood. Theories about for what other familiar Star Wars characters will also return for the Obi-Wan series, and if a recent rumor turns out to be true, another prequel star may be joining McGregor: Hayden Christensen.
That's right, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith star Hayden Christensen may very well make a triumphant-adjacent return to the role of Anakin Skywalker for Disney+'s standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi project, at least according to LRM.com. The outlet claims that the actor is "currently in talks" with show producers about reprising the morally imbalanced man destined to become the iconic Darth Vader. If true, the news would certainly be one of the more polarizing developments that the mighty Disney+ could bring into existence.
With nothing being confirmed from any angle, it's unclear how heavily Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker would even factor into the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show. I don't think anyone would expect him to appear in all six episodes, but there's obviously a world of difference between appearing in a brief dream sequence and digging into an episode-long flashback storyline.
For many Star Wars fans, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to "sufficiently developed characters portrayed to perfection." Granted, many actors would have faced an uphill climb in delivering Darth Vader's backstory, but Christensen earned a lot of flak for his performances, as did the younger actor Jake Lloyd for The Phantom Menace.
In any case, Star Wars: The Clone Wars earned a recent resurgence in popularity and poignance with its final season on Disney+. So a lot of fans are once again eager to see more adventures set in the era between the prequel and O.G. trilogies, which the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will almost definitely deliver. But will Hayden Christensen have more luck than Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best when it comes to securing a live-action future in the franchise?
There are a few factors that tangentially support the grain-of-salt rumors of Hayden Christensen potentially appearing in the Obi-Wan series. For one, the actor legitimately reprised the role of Anakin Skywalker for a brief bit of dialogue that factored into Episode XI: The Rise of Skywalker, so it hasn't been that long since he got into the character's headspace.
Plus, the Disney+ project landed its new showrunner and writer Joby Harold back in January following the departure of the previous creative head, which itself sparked rumors of the show's cancellation. So it would make sense if Harold and his creative team had only recently figured out a keen way to bring Anakin back, thus setting the pieces in motion to bring the idea to life.
Of course, there's always the chance that none of this is actually going to happen, and that Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan is going to do his own thing without any interference from Hayden Christensen's Anakin. Let us know in the poll below which side of the coin you land on!
With the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series scheduled to go into production in early 2021, a release date on Disney+ is even harder to ascertain, though previously delays reportedly didn't postpone the planned release window. In the meantime, check out all the shows premiering soon with our Summer 2020 TV schedule.
This poll is no longer available.
