In addition to reports about the show's use of de-aging tech for Hayden Christensen's role, the actor also confirmed that he watched Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series to prep for the show. In fact, at the start, Hayden's role was expected to be somewhat limited given the fact that Obi-Wan and Vader's encounters needed to be few but meaningful for the sake of canon and the emotional weight of the story.īut that all began to change leading up Obi-Wan Kenobi's Disney+ release. Fans Found the Lack of Hayden Christensen Disturbingĭespite Kathleen Kennedy's tease about Vader and Kenobi's epic rematch, Star Wars fans knew that the show, first and foremost, would be about Kenobi. Now that all six episodes have come and gone, it seems that Star Wars wasted Hayden Christensen in choosing not to choose the Chosen One for a larger role in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
However, despite this promise, and Hayden Christensen's role in marketing the series, it wasn't until the fifth episode of the six-episode series that audiences saw the actor's face for more than a beat.
When Obi-Wan Kenobi was finally confirmed for Disney+, Lucasfilm elevated fan expectations by announcing that Hayden Christensen would be joining the series as well.Įven though Obi-Wan's solo story was originally intended to be a TV series, the success of Star Wars on Disney+ and the series-style format changed that.Īnd, then, during Disney Investor's Day 2020, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced the details of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which not only included the involvement of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, but also the promise of Kenobi and Vader's " rematch of the century." The time spanning Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope was a gap in the Jedi Master's story and one that was rich with storytelling possibilities. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, and before Disney+ was even launched, Ewan McGregor's return as Obi-Wan Kenobi was at the top of Star Wars fans' wishlist.