Though rumors of Hayden Christensen making an appearance in Star Wars: Episode IX have popped up a couple of times in the last year, the claim has never come across as particularly convincing. After all, Prequel-era Anakin is easily one of the most frequently ridiculed characters of the entire Star Wars franchise, suggesting that this is one nostalgia buzz that J.J. Abrams might want to give a miss.
Nonetheless, the Express is now relaying the alleged intel that Disney is currently “negotiating to bring in Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker for a sequence in Episode 9.” And while the details don’t go much further than that, this assertion is already sounding pretty dubious.
For one thing, with principal photography on Episode IX expected to wrap in February, this sounds pretty late in the game to still be in negotiations. Granted, we’ve heard it said previously that the atmosphere on set is significantly “looser” this time round, with the team proving more willing to try new things, but would the choice to include one of the saga’s biggest characters really be this last-minute?
To be fair, if Episode IX really is to be the end of the Skywalker Saga, then perhaps a Force Ghost cameo from the original Skywalker would help bring the drama full circle, especially if his son Luke is also set to return. What’s more, the Maul cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story made it clear that Disney-era Lucasfilm is perfectly willing to bring back Prequel characters in their new movies, despite the divisiveness of that era.
But while even detractors of the Prequel Trilogy will often have at least a little affection for Darth Maul, the average filmgoer isn’t exactly clamoring for an Attack of the Clones-era Anakin comeback, especially when a Vader cameo could be a far more popular substitute, albeit a harder one to write into the film.
All in all, we wouldn’t bet on this claim being legit, but perhaps Abrams can still surprise us when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.