Hayden Christensen has finally spoken out about returning to a galaxy far, far away.
Last Thursday during the Disney Investor Day presentation, it was revealed that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The series is set to come out on Disney+ no later than 2022 and, of course, features the return of Ewan McGregor in the titular role as Obi-Wan.
Following the exciting announcement that he’d be reprising his role as fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker and the unforgettable and iconic villain Darth Vader, Christensen released a statement on how he felt about returning to the role. Here’s what he said to StarWars.com:
"It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker. Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them… It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back."
It was revealed that the series begins 10 years after the Duel of the Heroes on the volcanic world of Mustafar — nine years before the Battle of Yavin IV. In the same StarWars.com story, speaking on the subject, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, “This will be the rematch of the century.”
We agree — it will be really interesting to see which direction Deborah Chow takes it in.
In Episode IV: A New Hope, Darth Vader famously says:
“The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master.”
We wonder, is there more to this famous line than we originally thought? It’s easy to assume Vader referred to his and Obi-Wan’s clash on Mustafar, but perhaps the two are to lock sabers again one more time in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Since that fight, we’ve had an excellent seven seasons of Matt Lanter as the voice of Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars. Fans of the show know how much more in-depth it explored Anakin’s character, with excellent story arcs such as the Mortis arc, and Slaves of the Republic.
How will that influence Hayden’s performance?
With the new announcement of the TV series Ahsoka and her entrance in The Mandalorian season 2, will we finally be seeing Christensen’s take on his young Padawan who left the order?
It’s all speculation for now, but with Obi-Wan Kenobi set to film in 2021, we hope to learn more soon.