There are currently nine Star Wars shows in various stages of development for Disney Plus, and those that felt burned by The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker will no doubt be hoping that the upcoming expansion of the franchise onto the small screen will take the series in a new direction after the most recent movies struggled under the weight of nostalgia and fan service.
Unfortunately, however, that might not be the case. Two of the confirmed shows will see the returns of Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, who are both characters that audiences are more than familiar with. Then there’s The Clone Wars spinoff The Bad Batch, while almost every major name from the history of Star Wars has been linked with their own series including Ahsoka Tano, Lando Calrissian and Han Solo. Not to mention Anakin Skywalker is heavily expected to appear in at least one episode of Obi-Wan, too.
The latest addition to the rumor mill, though, is directly connected to the potential return of Hayden Christensen, as apparently, Lucasfilm are considering a Darth Vader series that will take place after A New Hope and draw inspiration from the Marvel comic books. Mikey Sutton of Geekosity is the one with the scoop and claims that it’s currently being discussed at the studio.
There are talks of Darth Vader having his own show, one that also delves into the world of the Sith Order. Such a series would be set after A New Hope; I’ve also heard Hayden Christensen could be reeled in, slightly de-aged via special effects for past sequences during the prequel era. Vader’s popularity never waned and actually received a boost from Rogue One. The show would also be different than The Mandalorian, giving Disney+ another Star Wars goldmine that will also entice old fans.
Sources add that Doctor Aphra, introduced in Marvel’s Star Wars comics, will be under Vader’s employ while simultaneously trying to plot against him. Aphra is going to be an anti-hero in the grey area between good and bad.
While it might sound like an interesting proposition on paper, one scene towards the end of Revenge of the Sith was all it took to dilute the fearsome reputation established for the iconic villain in the Original Trilogy, and Star Wars has been returning to the well far too often during the Disney era. As such, an entire season of television dedicated to Darth Vader as the main character really just seems like overkill at this stage.