Hayden Christensen Reportedly Returning to Play Anakin Skywalker for Multiple New STAR WARS Projects
A new report claims the Hayden Christensen is lined up for at least two more Star Wars projects, which means fans may be seeing a lot more of both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in the years ahead.
After the way audiences embraced Christensen’s return in Obi-Wan Kenobi and later in Ahsoka, this honestly doesn’t come as a huge surprise. Lucasfilm finally seems to understand just how much love there is for the prequel era, and they’re leaning into it.
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Christensen is expected to return for multiple upcoming projects as either Anakin or Vader. Considering he’s already played both versions of the character again under Disney’s banner, the possibilities are wide open.
Christensen has obviously loved stepping back into the role, and after seeing how effective he was in Ahsoka, it’s easy to see why Lucasfilm would want more. There are two more projects he will appear in on top of Ahsoka Season 2.
What makes this especially interesting is the current state of the franchise. Right now, Star Wars feels like it’s entering a transition period. We’re less than a week away from the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, while Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter is set to arrive next year alongside the delayed second season of Ahsoka.
On top of that, Kathleen Kennedy has stepped down as Lucasfilm president, with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan now taking over leadership duties.
That shift makes everything feel unpredictable. These upcoming projects aren’t just more entries in the franchise. They’re shaping up to be the foundation of the next era of Star Wars. And right now, Lucasfilm is keeping details locked down tighter than Palpatine’s long game.
There’s also a good chance the studio is saving major announcements for next year’s Star Wars Celebration. Historically, Celebration events have served as launchpads for big franchise reveals, and Lucasfilm will likely use the event to finally lay out its long-term theatrical and Disney+ roadmap.
If Disney still plans to push forward with yearly theatrical releases after Starfighter, development announcements will probably need to start surfacing sooner rather than later.
The television side appears to be slowing down a bit, though, with Lucasfilm seemingly focusing on one live-action series per year. That makes it easier for the studio to keep future projects hidden until the timing is right.
The big question now is how Filoni plans to use Vader moving forward. Interestingly, Vader recently showed up in Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1, and he was pretty savage. It’ll be interesting to see what how Lucasfilm utlizes the character next.
Filoni also seems to view Vader less as a traditional character and more like an unstoppable presence looming over the galaxy. That perspective could lead to some seriously cool appearances if handled carefully, especially if Lucasfilm avoids overusing him.
As for Anakin himself, there’s still plenty of emotional territory left to explore through Force Ghost appearances, flashbacks, or stories set during the Clone Wars and Imperial eras.
Christensen proved in Ahsoka that he can still slip right back into the role effortlessly, and fans clearly haven’t lost interest in seeing him wield a lightsaber again.