It's been nearly two decades since Hayden Christensen last played Anakin Skywalker, but he'll finally reprise the role in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi. We expect to spend time with the villain both in and out of Darth Vader's suit, of course, as the series - which is set ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith - will reveal exactly what he goes through as Emperor Palpatine's right hand.
Rumour has it the actor will also play the Sith Lord in Ahsoka, though the expectation is that he will either show up in flashbacks or as a Force Ghost.
It looks like the next few years will be an exciting time for fans of this iconic hero turned villain. There's already a lot of buzz online about a possible Darth Vader TV show or movie, and if the comic books have proven anything, it's that Lucasfilm can tell any number of stories revolving around the Sith Lord.
Whether the project comes to fruition remains to be seen (it's worth noting that this is barely even a rumour at this point), but Christensen is definitely interested. "Yeah, I mean, absolutely," he told Entertainment Tonight (via SFFGazette.com) when they asked if he'd be open to starring in a Darth Vader spinoff. "I think this is a character that resonates in our culture in a very kind of profound way, and there's certainly more there to explore."
After mentioning the other ways Vader's story has been told in recent years, like those comics, Christensen added: "I would love to get to continue my journey with him."
Of course, George Lucas handpicked Christensen to play Anakin, and Games Radar asked the actor if he's reached out to the filmmaker at all prior to shooting the Disney+ limited series. "I have not, no," the actor admitted. "I really felt like this was Deborah Chow's story, and I really just wanted to follow her lead on this one. I think what she's done here is just incredibly exciting."
However, that doesn't mean Christensen didn't do his research prior to suiting up again. "They did a lot with these characters in that show - Clone Wars and Rebels," he explains. "And it's just useful information to have. So I went back, and I watched all that stuff, I read some of the comics, and I just tried to immerse myself as much as I could."
"Just the idea that I get to play Darth Vader at this point in his life, it was just a really unique opportunity," the actor said of what brought him back to the role. "It really didn't take much convincing."
Lucasfilm has used Vader sparingly since bringing the franchise back to the big screen (and Disney+), but between Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi, fans are more anxious than ever to spend a significant amount of time with this franchise's most iconic character.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres with its first two episodes on Disney+ tomorrow, May 27.