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Lucasfilm and Disney are ready to give us the rematch we didn’t know we wanted.
Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi gets another shot at Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, for the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Disney made the announcement Thursday as part of their Investor Day 2020.
Star Wars fans will know Hayden Christensen as the actor who played adult Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy.
I know, we don’t like the prequels. You can cue up the eyerolls if you want.
Christensen was somewhat of a discovery of George Lucas. He was relatively unknown at the time when he took on the role of grown-up Anakin, the father of Luke and Leia who turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. He first appeared in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and continued as Ani/Vader in Revenge of the Sith.
Of course, Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker is the Padawan being trained as a Jedi by McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. And we got that really cool duel in Revenge amid the volcanic lava on Mustafar, the climactic event that leads Ani to become the franchise’s next central villain, Darth Vader.
Love him or hate him, he’s back for the latest series to hit the Star Wars universe. He’ll be joining McGregor for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy calls it “the rematch of the century.”
“The most beautiful thing of all is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden,” Ewan McGregor said about the return of Christensen as Darth Vader in the upcoming show.
The series is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith — and 10 years after Obi-Wan goes off into exile. But beyond that, we don’t really have a lot to go on, plot-wise. Is ol’ Ben just hanging around on Tatooine waiting for his moment?
The preview footage that was played was (unfortunately) all interview, as the project is not in production until next year.
It’s safe to say that some sort of encounter will bring him back to his old Padawan. And with what Kennedy said during Investor Day, it sounds like the encounter will be epic.
It is unclear who will provide the voice of Vader in the new series. James Earl Jones once again lent his voice to Vader for Revenge, but it’s unclear if he will return again. No one’s getting any younger at this point, and it’s already been 15 years since the last of the prequels.
If you’re amped to see the new series, it’s unfortunately not going to be out for a while. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi will debut on Disney+ in 2022.
Luckily, the success of The Mandalorian was a huge moment for the Star Wars franchise, leading to plans for more Star Wars projects than ever.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will take place in roughly the same time period as another new franchise series, Andor. This series, between the fall of the Republic and the start of A New Hope, is now in production. Rogue One’s Diego Luna will return as Cassian Andor.
Lucasfilm will also be bringing season 3 of Mandalorian, and another series set during the same timeframe: Ahsoka. This one will see Rosario Dawson continue her role as Ahsoka, and executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are on board, as well.
Other exciting Star Wars projects in the works include Lando, Rangers of the New Republic, The Bad Batch, and Rogue Squadron, among many others.
