The Star Wars prequel trilogy was all about Anakin Skywalker and how he came to become the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader in the original movies. Sadly, fans only saw Hayden Christensen in the iconic helmet for a few brief seconds. Since then, the character has seen a few appearances across the media, including in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, and the recent hit game Jedi: Fallen Order. In all of those outings, Christensen didn’t play any part within the story.
This is why his return in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi is such a big deal. The actor hasn’t been involved with the character in over a decade—but that long streak has finally come to an end. Not only that, but he has gotten to interact with Ewan McGregor's titular character for the first time since Revenge of the Sith.
Now fans are campaigning to see him return for even more of the character. Could Lucasfilm potentially organize a spin-off show focused around Vader himself? And would the newly involved actor take part?
Hayden Christensen Responds to Darth Vader Disney+ Spin-off Prospects
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Obi-Wan Kenobi's Hayden Christensen talked about his experience on the series so far and was asked if he'd be up for his own Darth Vader spin-off.
Christensen was asked by the outlet how he'd feel about getting his own spin-off series focused on Darth Vader, to which he exclaimed how he would "absolutely" do it, and that "[getting] to do more with this character would be amazing."
When asked how he approached the big scene in "Part III" between Ewan McGregor and himself, the actor noted how "there are some indications of Anakin in there," but at the same time, they were "trying to remain true to what [audiences] know and love about [Darth Vader]:"
"You know, this is the first time we’ve seen Vader sort of chronologically this close to the Anakin Skywalker character, so there are some indications of Anakin in there. But for the most part, we’re trying to remain true to what we know and love about this character, and make sure we honor the way he moves and sounds to stay true to that continuity."
In prepping for the Disney+ series, the actor noted how he "went back and watched all the films again and studied Anakin as much as [he] could:"
"I certainly went back and watched all the films again and studied Anakin as much as I could. There is just a lot going on with the character. He’s always sort of processing and trying to figure out what’s going on around him."
As for if he had a moment he was most proud of from the prequel trilogy, he told a story about how he had had "to figure out how to make up Wattanese:"
"I don’t know that I have a scene that I was most proud of, but there’s a scene where Anakin goes back to Tatooine in Episode II [Attack of the Clones] and speaks to Watto. The script had the dialogue written in English and then, in parentheses, it said: 'in Wattanese.' It wasn’t until the day before we started filming that I went to George, and I was like, 'What should Wattanese sound like?' And he was like, 'Well, you know, so long as it doesn’t sound like English or any other language that might sound familiar. You can just make it up.' (Laughs.) So, I was rushing the night before to try to figure out how to make up Wattanese, and every time I see that scene, I get a bit of a kick out of it."
How Much More Christensen Will Audiences Get?
Given the reception he’s had so far, fans are undoubtedly in support of seeing the actor back in the role as often as possible—especially for a spin-off show.
Though with that said, audiences have been having a difficult time distinguishing when exactly the actor is involved. James Earl Jones was confirmed to have voiced Vader for the show, and there are multiple other people (such as a stuntman and movement coach) under the iconic cape.
So when exactly is Hayden Christensen on screen? The only times viewers know for sure is when the Sith Lord is out of the uniform and in a bacta tank.
While fans wait to see when he might get a spin-off, there are at least two other places to look forward to him. For one, it was previously announced he would be returning for Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka. On top of that, Obi-Wan Kenobi might be getting a second season—where he’d obviously be involved in some capacity.
The actor behind Vader seems genuinely happy to be involved in the Star Wars franchise once again and giving him his own series would be well deserved.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is currently streaming on Disney+.
