Obi-Wan Kenobi Director Says Darth Vader Return “Wouldn’t Make Sense” Without Hayden Christensen

Obi-Wan Kenobi is making its way onto Disney+ tomorrow morning and fan excitement is through the roof. The series is set to bring back Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi, and it’s also set to see the return of another face– Hayden Christensen. Christensen played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but he never got the chance to fully portray the Darth Vader side of the character. Now with his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi, we get to see him in full Darth Vader form. Darth Vader doesn’t necessarily need a big name under the helmet due to him being voiced by James Earl Jones. But it seems that director Deborah Chow didn’t want to do the series with out Christensen under the helmet.

Variety got the chance to talk with the director during Star Wars Celebration, and she had a lot to say about working with Star Wars characters who wear helmets, like The Mandalorian and Darth Vader. Chow also revealed that they wouldn’t have chosen any other actor to play the character other than Christensen. In the interview, the Obi-Wan Kenobi director says “To have Hayden back… I don’t think it would have made sense otherwise.” Either way you slice it, Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to be a wild ride.

The series is set to focus on the period in time after Revenge of the Sith where McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is watching over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine and will even feature an Obi-Wan and Darth Vader reunion. Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow recently compared the two’s relationship to a love story.

“For me, across the prequels, through the original trilogy, there’s a love-story dynamic with these two that goes through the whole thing,” Chow revealed to Vanity Fair. “I felt like it was quite hard to not[include] the person who left Kenobi in such anguish in the series… What’s special about that relationship is that they loved each other.”

Lucasfilm and the streaming service describe the series as follows: “During the reign of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi embarks on a crucial mission. Kenobi must confront allies turned enemies and face the wrath of the Empire.” Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere May 27th, 2022 on Disney+. The series stars Ewan McGregor, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Indira Varama, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rupert Friend, Simone Kessell and Benny Sadfie. 

What do you think about Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!