The recent Disney Investors Day was full to the brim with surprises, with one of the biggest being the announcement thatHayden Christensen will return to play Sith Lord Darth Vader in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. In footage screened exclusively for investors, returning star Ewan McGregor discussed Christensen’s come back, with theObi-Wan Kenobistar sounding just as excited as we all are.
“The most beautiful thing of all [about the series] is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden.”
The exclusive preview footage, which was comprised of interviews as the series does not begin production until next year, also featured McGregor teasing another clash of lightsabers between the pair, with the actor saying that they will have “another swing at each other” during the events ofObi-Wan Kenobi.
Very few details have been revealed about the Disney+ series, but we do know that the events ofObi-Wan Kenobiwill take place some ten years after the ending of 2005’sStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithand will continue one of the biggest rivalries inStar Wars lore, with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy describing it as “the rematch of the century.”
During the events, director Deborah Chow offered a small insight into what to expect from the series, revealing that the plot begins from a simple premise: “Just being a Jedi, it’s not safe.”
The official details that have been revealed about the direction of the series are as follows; “Hayden Christensenreturns as Darth Vader, joiningEwan McGregorin Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Original Series begins 10 years after the dramatic events ofRevenge of the Sith, and is coming to Disney+.” Earlier reports claimed that the series will involve Darth Vader attempting to track down his old mentor and friend, which certainly tracks with what has now been officially revealed.
While we know that Hayden Christensen will return as Darth Vader, the capacity of Christensen’s involvement remains something of a mystery. The legendary villain is famously voiced by the dulcet vocals of James Earl Jones, but it has not yet been revealed whether he will also return alongside Christensen. Realistically, the studio is very unlikely to have brought Christensen back into the fray just to have him muted and covered head-to-toe in a costume, so expect to see his face at some point, maybe in flashbacks, or perhaps heavily scarred under the Vader helmet.
McGregor previously offered some insight into the show, as well as reflecting on the ongoing rumors of backstage dilemmas saying, “The scripts are really good. I saw 90% of the writing and I really liked it. All this bullsh-t about creative differences and all that stuff, none of it is true. We just pushed the dates … last episode, [Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker] came out, everyone had more time to read the stuff that had been written, and they felt that they wanted to do more work on it.”
The MandalorianandBetter Call Saul’sDeborah Chow is set to direct the series, which is scheduled to debut on Disney+ sometime in 2022. This comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporterand was just one of manyStar Warsannouncements made during Disney Investor Day.
