‘Star Wars’ Behind-the-Scenes Photo of Hayden Christensen and George Lucas Has Fans Hyped for His Return to the Franchise
Star Wars fans are enjoying a wealth of new content these days, with the recent release of the second season of the hit show The Mandalorian. Many viewers who have been getting disenchanted with the franchise in recent years are praising the bold new direction that Star Wars has taken, pointing to the well-written characters and smart writing as proof that showrunners are listening to what fans say.
With the upcoming release of the standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi series, many fans are diving deep to learn what they can about the series — and taking to Reddit to excitedly discuss Hayden Christensen’s role in the show.
Hayden Christensen played Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker in the ‘Star Wars’ prequels
Long before Disney+ produced and released new Star Wars shows, the prequel trilogy was making waves in the fan base. The Star Wars prequel trilogy consisted of three films: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and The Revenge of the Sith. In two of those films, young actor Hayden Christensen took on the role of Anakin Skywalker, the gifted Jedi who eventually becomes the villainous Darth Vader.
Unfortunately, when the films were first released, Christensen’s performance as Anakin was slammed by critics, according to Screenrant. Many of these fans took issue with Christensen’s acting and the overall direction of the prequel trilogy. Christensen himself handled the criticism with grace, but there’s no doubt that the relentless wave of hate took a toll on the actor — and for years, he has remained mostly out of the spotlight. These days, Christensen is back in fans’ good graces, with many acknowledging that, perhaps, Christensen did the best he could with the material he was given.
What do fans know about the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series?
Hayden Christensen has slowly been integrating back into the Star Wars universe — and he is set to return as Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. However, besides the cast members, not much is known about the series. Most of the main players are remaining mum as to the plot and storyline. Reportedly, the series will feature around six episodes in total and is designed to be a standalone series.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy did throw fans a bone in recent months. According to Grit Daily, Kennedy revealed that “Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Revenge of the Sith, where he faced his greatest defeat: the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker, turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.”
‘Star Wars’ fans are excited to see Hayden Christensen back in action as Darth Vader
Hayden Christensen himself has remained silent about his upcoming appearance as Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Still, some fans recently took to Reddit to discuss what it will be like to see the actor back in action. The original post featured a behind-the-scenes shot from the making of The Revenge of the Sith, with Christensen getting suited up as Vader.
“Wonder if Hayden’s looking like that right now on the set of Kenobi,” one fan wrote, adding emojis of crossed fingers to the comment. “Hayden coming back as Darth Vader for the Obi-Wan series is genuinely the thing I might be most excited about in life right now. I don’t know if that’s an indictment of my own life or if it’s a testament to how monumental it is that Hayden’s back, but hey,” another fan wrote.
Clearly, fans are more than ready to forget the difficult prequel trilogy years and eagerly embrace the unique talent that Hayden Christensen brings to the iconic role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
