Hayden Christensen has agreed to play Anakin Skywalker once again in the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series for Disney+.
The actor played the young Jedi Knight trained by master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005). As fans are aware, this was before Anakin transformed into the iconic villain Darth Vader.
Rumors from Kessel Run Transmission indicated that Christensen would join Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) in the still-untitled prequel. The series will be partly based on Star Wars: Clone Wars, where the young Jedi fought alongside his master.
The YouTube channel also shared that Christensen is preparing to wear the clone armor. His scenes, however, will involve flashbacks showing the pivotal moments of Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan.
Plot detail ties to The Mandalorian
Disney and Lucasfilm have not commented on the casting report. However, it coincides with the studios’ plan to shift focus on the other characters in the franchise.
The studios are also bringing someone else from the Clone Wars animated series into the live-action format. Ashoka Tano, who is a fan favorite on the said show, is boarding The Mandalorian season 2, and rumors are rife that Rosario Dawson will be playing the role.
The flagship Star Wars Disney+ series is also expounding on its Darksaber storyline in its second season. But Clone Wars, which concluded in 2005, was the first show to explore the dangerous lightsaber’s mythology.
Production won’t begin until 2021
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series, however, won’t start with filming until early 2021 due to the pandemic, and this may be why Disney or Lucasfilm are not confirming any of the speculations just yet. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, however, said that the show would have a conclusion since it will be just a one-off.
Fans assume that the prequel will be episodic and not serialized. It will also likely cover Obi-Wan’s nearly two decades of isolation in Tatooine, where he was watching over a young Luke Skywalker.
McGregor said that the scripts call for six episodes with Deborah Chow at the helm.
“The scripts are really good. I saw 90% of the writing and I really liked it,” the actor said, amid rumors that the show has been further delayed because of too many changes in the story. “All this bulls**t about creative differences and all that stuff, none of it is true.”
Disney+ hasn’t given a release date for the Obi-Wan Kenobi prequel series, but Star Wars fans won’t likely see the completed show until 2022.
Image used courtesy of Star Wars/YouTube