Obi-Wan Kenobi: Star Wars Fans Celebrate Hayden Christensen's Return as Darth Vader

Star Wars fans are celebrating Hayden Christensen's return to a galaxy far, far away when he reprises his role as Darth Vader opposite Ewan McGregor in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kathleen Kennedy confirmed Christensen's role during Disney Investor Day in December, where the Lucasfilm president teased the "rematch of the century" between Obi-Wan and his former Padawan apprentice — and friend — the ex-Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. After making a voiceover cameo in the climax of the episodic saga conclusion Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader for the first time since 2005's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

On Monday, Lucasfilm revealed the full cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a special event series directed by Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian).

Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse return as Owen and Beru Lars, respectively, alongside franchise newcomers Kumail Nanjiani (Marvel's Eternals), Sung Kang (the Fast & Furious franchise), O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Moses Ingram (The Queen's Gambit),
Indira Varma (Mission: Impossible 7), Rupert Friend (Homeland), Simone Kessell (Terra Nova), and Benny Safdie (Good Time).

"We couldn't tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Vader," Chow said in a sizzle reel shown exclusively at Disney Investor Day. McGregor said the "most beautiful thing" about Kenobi is that "it's brought me back together with Hayden. It'll be amazing to bring those characters back together again, very unexpectedly."

As Chow teased Star Wars fans will "definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again," we saw the blue-bladed lightsaber of a hooded Obi-Wan clash with the red Sith blade of Darth Vader — a rematch years after their fiery battle on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith.

"Having another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody," McGregor said at the time. "We hope that you enjoy it as much as we're going to enjoy making it."