Culture

Hayden Christensen Is Anakin Skywalker Again And Fans Are Welcoming Him Back

Welcome back to the chosen one!

by Merryana Salem  13 December 2020

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The 2020 Disney’s Investor Day yielded many exciting announcements, trailers, and teasers for upcoming content for Disney, Marvel and Star Wars fans alike. These announcements included new Disney+ series; Ahsoka, Iron Heart, and even a Moana animated series.

There were also release dates and announcements for Black Widow, Captain Marvel 2, and Ant-Man 3. It’s fair to say that over the next five years, subscribers to Disney+, and moviegoers, will have a lot of content to look forward to.

But perhaps the most momentous announcement, at least for fans of the Star Wars prequel trilogy like myself, was the confirmation that Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker.

Christensen will reprise his role alongside Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) in the upcoming Disney+ series centred on Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor said in the preview, which was mostly interviews about production, “The most beautiful thing of all [about the series] is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden.”

Likewise, Christensen echoed, “Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them… It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back.”

The pair have not shared the screen since Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in 2005. More details about this new series are pretty slim. McGregor and Christensen reprising their roles as Obi-Wan and Anakin respectively are just about the only details that have been officially announced.

However, Kathleen Kenedy, head of Star Wars content at Disney, has said that the series will take place about ten years after Revenge of the Sith, and will involve a rematch “of the century” between Kenobi and Darth Vader at some point.

The series is also rumoured to be limited to a one-season run of six episodes. As slim as these details are, that didn’t stop fans from absolutely losing it over the announcement of Christensen’s return. Even Haunting of Bly Manor star, Rahul Kohli was tweeting in all caps.

Kohli even briefly changed his account name to celebrate, changing his Twitter handle to Rahayden Christensen. May I just say, Mr Kohli? Biggest mood!

hayden-chrisensen-anakin-skywalker-kenobi

Via @RahulKohli13 on Twitter.

It’s worth mentioning that this outpouring of love and excitement for Christensen’s return is the polar opposite to how the Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin was originally received back in the day. In fact, Christensen practically quit acting over the backlash.

Many fans have been quick to point out the change of heart, and some even find it quite baffling. Personally, I can’t relate. If you’re someone whose hating on Christensen’s Anakin in 2020? Get well soon, I guess.

Whether you’re excited for the Kenobi series for the expansion of the universe, seeing Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan again, or seeing Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, one thing is for sure– That Disney+ subscription has never EVER been more tempting.

Welcome back, Hayden Christensen. The Kenobi series will stream on Disney+.