When the credits faded to black on Revenge of the Sith, there were a lot of Star Wars fans who would have been more than happy to never see Hayden Christensen appear in the franchise again. Playing the man who would become Darth Vader came burdened with almost unbearable pressure, and while George Lucas’ woeful dialogue didn’t help his cause, there are scenes in Episodes II and III where the young actor’s work could be described as wooden at best, and positively dire at worst.
However, as Disney and Lucasfilm have made abundantly clear over the last few years, nostalgia is what powers Star Wars these days, and the opinions on Christensen’s tenure as Anakin had softened over time to the point where people would be more than happy to see him return. Now, after months of speculation, the 39 year-old has officially been confirmed for Obi-Wan Kenobi, news which sent the internet promptly into meltdown.
Would the reaction to Christensen’s return have been as enthusiastic if he wasn’t starring opposite Ewan McGregor in a project that fans have been clamoring to see for well over a decade at this point? Probably not, but Darth Vader will always remain one of the most iconic villains in popular culture regardless of whether Christensen, the late David Prowse or stuntmen Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous are under the armor.
We still don’t know too much about how he’ll be involved in the story, but the Prequel Trilogy star is rumored to spend a lot of time with his helmet off and now, some new fan art from BossLogic imagines his impending return, which you can check out below.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to start shooting in March, so in a couple of months, plot details could be making their way online, but for now, Kathleen Kennedy’s promise of the rematch of the century is more than enough to keep the fanbase satiated for the time being.
