Hayden Christensen May Return As Anakin In Disney+ Series

"I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out..."

-Obi-Wan Kenobi

The time is nigh, fellow inhabitants of this wretched hive of scum and villainy, as Hayden Christensen has all but been confirmed as returning to our beloved Star Wars franchise. The star that originally joined the saga for 2002's Star Wars: Attack of the Clones as the up and coming Anakin Skywalker might be coming back in a major way for the Disney+ series about Obi-Wan Kenobi. An announcement would have been made at Star Wars Celebration 2020, but that convention has been delayed until 2022.

Reeling back a bit from the foaming mouths of fandom, we must inform you that all of this is just speculation, with the main source of info coming from an anonymous yet "extremely credible" source revealed by LRM Online. Considering the source material for just a moment, though, we, along with the rest of the Star Wars fandom, could really see this making sense. The Disney+ series will be starring a returning Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the period between Episode III and Episode IV, covering his exile and self-isolation as he keeps a watchful eye over the young, innocent Luke Skywalker, possibly even during a time when Kenobi is trying to learn how to become a Force ghost.

Taking a stroll back down memory lane, many of you may remember Christensen's performances in the last two installments of the prequel trilogy as being rough and, frankly, a bit wooden. Yet like a fine wine, his contributions to the franchise won fans over time. The sheer amount of memes garnered over time may have played a bigger role in that, too. We have been brought to the point where some of the loudest voices calling him terrible and whatnot have called for his return to the saga.

Answering that request, it seems that the executives have listened and signed up Mr. Christensen, granting him the rank of series regular rather than just a cameo role. What exactly does all of this mean? It is not quite clear. Theories range from visions to possible Force ghost shenanigans, and even to a young Darth Vader appearance. What we are proud to say is that it will be more than what he received in the last major trilogy release as a mere background voice for just one measly scene.

Although Lucasfilm did indeed end the Skywalker saga with The Rise of Skywalker, they have been noted as starting work on projects that are adjacent to the narrative, leading up to hopes that the actor could once again portray the character in a live-action capacity. Admittedly, Christensen confessed that after the prequels were released, with harsh critics and fan reactions being what they were, the odds of returning to the franchise seemed slim at best.

It would make sense to have Anakin be a central element for the betrayed and grieving Jedi Master to reflect upon. The show is still in early preproduction in addition and going through various rewrites, with one of the original concepts being reportedly similar to The Mandalorian. With all the fantastic material depicted in the fantastic animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), which truly fleshed out the duo's brotherly camaraderie, I, along with many other fans, hope and pray to see just a fraction of that complex dynamic. The reality is that the Disney+ series will only have an announced six-episode block.

In any case, best of wishes to all the cast and crew for the very best performance and tribute to many people's favorite childhood franchise. Hopes are high and hype does, as it always does, chug along down that train line. Here's to believing in the force folks.

Source: Screen Rant, LRM Online