Disney Reportedly Demands Cancellation of Star Wars Panel With Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen

FanX is currently in full swing in Salt Lake, and a last-minute cancellation is prompting some […]

September 7, 2019, 7:55pm

FanX is currently in full swing in Salt Lake, and a last-minute cancellation is prompting some pretty big Star Wars rumors. According to the above video from someone in attendance, Disney canceled a panel that was set to feature Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen. While McDiarmid is confirmed to be reprising his role as the Emperor in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there’s been no confirmation that Christensen will be returning as Anakin Skywalker. The rumor is that Disney threatened legal action if the convention continued with the panel out of fear of spoilers, which is leading people to believe Christensen will be showing up as a Force Ghost in the new movie. Here are some tweets about the incident:

And Disney just cancelled their panel at FanX. Like… how else are we supposed to read that, @starwars? 🧐🤔 https://t.co/y7ZrbLjC7N
— The Reylo Rev. Meghatron (@the_meghatron) September 7, 2019

The star wars spotlight panel at #fanx was cancelled. The rumor is that Disney threatened litigation if @fanxsaltlake allowed Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid to speak for fear of leaks. These rumors have yet to be addressed by either organization.
— Alex Wood (@WoodyWood_Chuck) September 7, 2019

This isn’t the first time rumors of Christensen’s return have sparked this week. Yesterday, McDiarmid and Christensen paid a visit to the Primary Children’s Hospital, and the photos of the two men together made people wonder if they’re reuniting because of the upcoming film.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Whether or not the rumors are true, it’s certainly intriguing that Disney would force the cancellation at the last minute. Do you think this means Christensen will be in The Rise of Skywalker? Tell us in the comments!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set to star a returning Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. New cast members include Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell, and the returning veteran actors are Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams. According to the director, J.J. Abrams, Leia will be featured in the film using unreleased footage of Carrie Fisher from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is expected to hit theatres on December 20th.