Hayden Christensen Reportedly Signing Multi-Picture STAR WARS Deal With Lucasfilm
A very interesting and exciting Star Wars rumor has surfaced involving Hayden Christensen, and if there’s any truth to it, we could be seeing a lot more of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in the years ahead.
According to Star Wars Gaming, Christensen is reportedly in the final stages of signing a multi-picture deal with Disney and Lucasfilm. The report also claims that a standalone Darth Vader movie could be part of the plan.
It’s important to make clear that none of this has been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm or Disney, so take it as a rumor for now. Still, I really hope there’s some truth to it because I’ve loved seeing Christensen return to the franchise.
His comeback as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi was great, and I especially enjoyed what they did with him in Ahsoka. Christensen has slipped back into the role incredibly well, and it feels like there are still some interesting stories Lucasfilm could tell with him.
A multi-picture deal also opens up more possibilities than just putting Vader back on the big screen. Anakin’s Force Ghost could continue to play a role in future stories, especially as Star Wars explores different eras and characters.
Madeleine Roux’s novel Legacy has even expanded Anakin’s presence into the sequel era with an encounter between Anakin and Rey.
But I’m not going to pretend that the possibility of a Darth Vader movie isn’t the most exciting part of this rumor.
I would love to see Vader explored in more depth during the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. There are so many different stories that could be told. There’s also a lot of darkness and anger, maybe regret, and conflict inside Anakin during that period, and Christensen could bring something compelling to that material.
Give Christensen a strong story that digs into the man buried underneath the armor while still letting Vader be the terrifying force we know him as.
Dave Filoni previously offered his own perspective on Vader while discussing the character’s appearance in Maul – Shadow Lord:
“To me, the key is not to actually give him a character,” he explained. “He’s devoid of it because he doesn’t care. Darth Vader does not care. He does not have compassion.
“He does not see you. He sees the thing he wants to destroy, and he will do that… He has one mission, and all of his remorse and all of his anger and all of his hate is in every swing that he does. That’s how it’s resolved.”
Filoni continued: “This is George’s character. This is the backbone of the whole thing. And you don’t want to do anything that interrupts that, or changes that, or diverts that.”
I understand wanting to protect what George Lucas created with Vader, but I also think there’s room to explore the character without changing his established story. We already know where Vader ultimately ends up. The interesting part is what happened along the way.
Christensen getting another opportunity to dig into that side of Anakin and Vader could be awesome, especially after seeing what he brought to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.
For now, though, this reported multi-picture deal remains an unconfirmed rumor. If it turns out to be true, I’m ready for more Darth Vader stories in Star Wars.