Matt Lanter Says He's Open To Returning As Darth Vader After Memorable STAR WARS REBELS Cameo (Exclusive)

Matt Lanter Says He's Open To Returning As Darth Vader After Memorable STAR WARS REBELS Cameo (Exclusive)

The Clone Wars star Matt Lanter briefly got to play Darth Vader in Star Wars Rebels, and the actor tells us that he would be excited, and a little intimidated, to reprise the role as that Anakin Skywalker.

By JoshWilding - Apr 30, 2022 04:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: SFFGazette.com

While Revenge of the Sith revealed Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader, we haven't really gotten to spend a significant amount of time with the fallen hero in the wake of his turn to the Dark Side. We know from various tie-in material that he struggled to adapt to his new body, but Obi-Wan Kenobi will pick up with the Sith Lord at a time we've rarely seen explored before now.

Set 10 years before the events of A New Hope, Hayden Christensen's return suggests we'll get to see more of Vader without his helmet on. However, this series won't be the first to offer a glimpse of his face, because Star Wars Rebels confirmed that Anakin remains as twisted as ever beneath the mask when a battle with his former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, led to his helmet being partially destroyed.

In a perfect throwback to The Clone Wars, actor Matt Lanter returned to voice Anakin, and despite an apparent moment of doubt, he was still full of hatred. It was one of the show's coolest moments, and when we had the actor on the phone to discuss his role in DC Showcase - Blue Beetle, we wondered if he would be open to returning as the Anakin who has transformed into the sinister Darth Vader.

"That’s a really great question. The masked Darth Vader seems like such a different character to Anakin," Lanter responded. "Even in the films, the James Earl Jones booming void of emotion character we know as Darth Vader seems very different to me. Would I like to play that version? Possibly. I feel like that’s a big undertaking in a lot of ways as it’s a different character."

"I think you specifically mentioned the unmasked version and that would be pretty cool. What was so unique about that moment [in Rebels] is that we literally saw the helmet break on the face jaggedly down the centre of his face and we saw Anakin and we saw Darth Vader. It was just this stark reminder that there’s a person inside of there and we loved him and knew him as Anakin."

"It was a really cool creative choice made by Dave Filoni. Bottom line, any time I get to play in the Star Wars Universe, I’m happy and up for it," Lanter concluded with a laugh. "There you go!"

There's obviously a reason Vader wears that helmet, but there's no reason a future animated project couldn't reveal more about what happens when it comes off. This likely wouldn't be the biggest role for Lanter, but given how effortlessly and perfectly he transformed into the villainous Anakin in Rebels, we've no doubt he would make the most of it in order to deliver another standout performance. 

Take a look at the video below for a reminder of why this exchange was such a memorable one:

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Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 4/30/2022, 4:29 PM
What I like most about all these prequels and in betweenequels is how they remove any bit of ambiguity or
mystery to formerly badass characters like Boba Fett and DV. (This is sarcasm just in case it's not clear enough).

It's great that Disney is just continuously going backwards and treading over the same ground, like animating a corpse Weekend At Bernie's style rather than moving this universe forward. Clearly being somewhat original and imaginative is not people want out of their space fantasies these days. 😐
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 4/30/2022, 5:49 PM
@Feralwookiee - I don't mind. I'll probably boo them too when the High Republic shows are released for doing something original.

I'm toxic. Everything Disney does in the Star Wars soubdbox that isn't exactly how I want it, is wrong!

Jk, I like a lot of stuff. If anything, everytine we've seen Darth Vader in action in Disney projects he's an absolute juggernaut
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 4/30/2022, 7:02 PM
@bkmeijer1 - I've basically checked out after The Force Awakens and there's no way I'm paying to see any of this "new"/rehashed shit.

It's just sad imo that with such a potentially big galaxy to explore, they just keep treading over the same territory and with diminishing results.
ElricReturns
ElricReturns - 4/30/2022, 5:14 PM
I've been going back and forth with this, but since they went and got Hayden back, I've been toying with if I like the idea of giving Vader an Anakin arc where for whatever the reason, maybe Palps strips him of it after failing something important, or I'm sure more creative folks than me could conjure a compelling reason, but I wanna see him out of the suit for a while on a story. But I wanna see more of a bridge between Anakin and Vader, and I think an arc with Hayden all burned up out of the suit might be a compelling arc for the character.
TheRealMandarin
TheRealMandarin - 4/30/2022, 5:50 PM
@ElricReturns - they kinda did something like that where palpatine essentially struck vader down & left vader on mustafar. All vader had was the will of the force to build him a new suit, all the while he was thinking about all the people he killed, even the younglings. It was a Charles soul comic that dropped last year
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 4/30/2022, 5:50 PM
@ElricReturns - even just that small bit with him in the bacta tank in Rogue One already made him more compelling in my opinion. I'd embrace more of that if they're not going overboard with it
grif
grif - 4/30/2022, 6:24 PM
everybody who ever played vader wants to come back and beg for work now.
hey i never played vader but i am open to coming back to play him again
MrDandy
MrDandy - 5/1/2022, 2:47 AM
That fight scene with Ahsoka where she breaks his helmet is a great moment. Almost wish the series recreates it in live action as a flashback or something
Phango
Phango - 5/1/2022, 3:22 AM
Josh really just copy & pasted the clickbait titled article from earlier, stamped an new title & called it a day. Of course he would because it's Josh.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 5/1/2022, 6:19 AM
@Koala0226 - While I applaud your efforts to find any excuse to whine and cry about clickbait, it was actually an issue with the site.

https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/star_wars/the_clone_wars/the-clone-wars-matt-lanter-responds-to-hayden-christensens-comments-about-the-series-exclusive-a193488
ScaryTerry
ScaryTerry - 5/1/2022, 10:47 PM
@JoshWilding - People despise me at my job too, man.
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