The Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney Plus is bringing back the most iconic villain in the entire Star Wars universe — Darth Vader. And Hayden Christensen is reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker, Disney announced. That’s right, Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan will face his former Jedi pupil in what Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy called “the rematch of the century.”
Disney Plus is developing a slew of Star Wars series. An Obi-Wan Kenobi show has been in the works for years from writer/director Deborah Chow, who has helmed two episodes of The Mandalorian. McGregor has been involved since the beginning, but Christensen’s return is a huge surprise.
Christensen was an unknown up-and-coming actor when George Lucas cast him in the Star Wars prequel movies. He first played Anakin Skywalker in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, then made the transformation into Darth Vader following a brutal battle with Obi-Wan at the end of Revenge of the Sith.
“It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker,” Christensen said in a statement. “Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them… It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all. I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back.”
Disney Plus has yet to set a release date for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The six-episode limited series is scheduled to begin filming in spring 2021.
The project has been in development for years. It was first announced at the D23 Expo in 2019. But news circulated that there was trouble with the show. In January 2020, a story in The Hollywood Reporter said that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wasn’t happy with the scripts and sought to start over with a new writer.
