The return of Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader to Star Wars was a surprise. Christensen last played Anakin Skywalker, the apprentice of the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), back in the Star Wars prequel episodes Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith between 2002 and 2005.
For the first time since filming Revenge of the Sith in 2003, Christensen returned to his role as the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the latest Disney+ series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Part II" of the series ended with Darth Vader appearing from inside his bacta tank after Inquisitor Reva (played by Moses Ingram) revealed a terrible truth to the hunted Jedi Master: Anakin Skywalker is alive.
"It was definitely a surprise. You know, for the longest time, no, I didn't think I'd be stepping back into this role again," Christensen said in an interview with HeyUGuys. "But certainly, in the back of my head for a little bit, I was maybe hopeful that one day such an opportunity might present itself."
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith saw Anakin Skywalker joining the dark side to learn the power to save a pregnant Padmé (Natalie Portman) from dying, turning to secret Sith Lord Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). After losing the lightsaber fight against Obi-Wan on the Mustafar planet, Emperor Palpatine encased the badly burned body of Darth Vader in a black suit of armor at the end of Episode III.
With the initial mixed reception to the Star Wars prequels aside, Hayden Christensen said that his unexpected return to the Star Wars franchise after almost two decades has been "incredibly special, and also very emotional for me."
"This whole project was a surprisingly emotional experience," Christensen said. "This is a character that means so much to me, and to other people as well. This is a character that has resonated in our popular culture in a very unique way, so getting to continue my journey with Darth Vader has been so cool."
In a recent interview with ET Canada, Christensen said that he is "absolutely" open to returning to his role again in a potential Darth Vader spinoff after the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, saying that there’s "certainly more there to explore" in the years between the events of Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi.
Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker is reportedly returning in the upcoming Ahsoka series, starring Rosario Dawson as Anakin’s former padawan.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is currently available to stream on Disney+ with the next episodes releasing weekly.
Also Read: Star Wars: Obi-Kenobi Releases Princess Leia Poster
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