A new fan poster imagines Anakin Skywalker's transformation to Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Hayden Christensen is set to make his Star Wars return via the upcoming Disney+ series which will reunite him with Ewan McGregor.
Announced at the recently-concluded Disney Investor Day by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, it's arguably one of the most exciting news to come out of the panel, and that's not an easy feat considering that they've confirmed 10 new Star Wars projects. Not much was said about the actual plot specifics for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but aside from the imminent face-off between Jedi Master and his former apprentice-turned Sith Lord, it's also revealed that the show will take place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. This means that at this point, Anakin is already fully-operating as Darth Vader, and his imminent encounter with Obi-Wan would be his first reunion with his ex-ally since their fallout in Mustafar.
With that, digital creator BossLogic imagines what Christensen's transformation from Anakin to Darth Vader might look like through the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The image offers the actor's burnt face under the Sith Lord's iconic mask. Check out the proposed one-sheet below:
Rumors of Christensen returning to Star Wars somehow had been going around quite a while before it was announced at Disney Investor Day. On the heels of Star Wars prequels' end, the actor shied away from the franchise and acting in general due to the backlash from playing Anakin Skywalker. That significantly changed over the last several years as Christensen became more open again to his history with the franchise. At one point, there were speculations that he will appear in the Star Wars sequels — The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson admitted that he would've wanted to bring Anakin back as a Force ghost, but that didn't happen. More recently, he's claimed to appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, but it hasn't been confirmed until Lucasfilm officially revealed it.
What's interesting in Christensen's impending Star Wars return is that it will properly show him as Darth Vader. Granted that the Sith Lord appeared at the end of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi gives Lucasfilm the opportunity to feature the actor as Vader as he's expected to cross paths again with the titular Jedi Master. It's worth noting that Kennedy's wording during her announcement particularly said that Christensen will be back as Vader and Anakin which tracks with regard to when the events of the Disney+ series will take place. All that being said, this doesn't mean that the actor won't be shown playing Anakin Skywalker on the small screen project, especially if the series incorporates some flashback sequence to more peaceful times between him and Obi-Wan.
Source: BossLogic