New Photo Of Hayden Christensen In Lightsaber Training Complete With Cape Revealed
Credit: Mizuri
"This is where the fun begins."
These are the legendary words of Anakin Skywalker as he flew in to rescue then-Chancellor Palpatine alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi in the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith. I would say the line is also very appropriate in regards to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the upcoming six-episode miniseries premiering on Disney+ on May 27. Headed by Deborah Chow, whose previous works include directing two episodes of The Mandalorian, the series will follow the titular Jedi as he temporarily leaves Tatooine to presumably lead the Inquisitors away from discovering the young Luke Skywalker on the desert planet. As he is pursued by the Inquisitors, Obi-Wan will go on a journey that will lead to another confrontation with his fallen apprentice, Darth Vader. While Ewan McGregor's return to the role of Obi-Wan is undoubtedly the biggest draw for the series, another major selling point for many, myself included, is the return of Hayden Christensen to the role of Anakin Skywalker.
Thanks to Vanity Fair, we also have our first official behind the scenes look at Christensen in the highly anticipated series as he prepares for his rematch with his former mentor. The image in question shows Christensen donning a cape as he rehearses his lightsaber choreography with McGregor's stunt double Ross Kohnstam. The picture is wonderful to behold, showing Christensen while he prepares himself for his reunion with Obi-Wan and his first onscreen fight scene with him in the Darth Vader suit. In a previous interview, Christensen described the sheer weight of the suit and the experience of performing and dueling inside of it.
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A relatively unknown actor back in the early 2000s, Christensen was first cast by George Lucas to play the then nineteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones. Most of Christensen’s scenes in the movie revolved around Anakin’s awkwardly budding relationship with then twenty-four-year-old Padme Amidala. As such, the initial public reception of Christensen's performance and Anakin's characterization was far from glowing. Many of the issues could be attributed primarily to Lucas's lack of experience with writing and directing this kind of old-fashioned romance, unlike his more modern romantic film American Graffiti. Unfortunately, the film's lackluster reception would also lead to Christensen being widely harassed by the Star Wars fandom and the public at large, with the actor even receiving death threats and accusations from "fans" who claimed his performance "destroyed Darth Vader."
Flash forward to 2022 and Christensen has become widely accepted by the fandom and the public over the last two decades. With the recent reevaluation of the prequel trilogy's merits and the movies' discovery by more and more people through the years, Christensen's performance has come to be regarded as far better than originally received. Despite the flaws that came with Lucas's writing and directing style, Christensen managed to deliver solid performances which captured the charisma, possessiveness, and inner turmoil of Anakin Skywalker. Now, after so many years, Christensen is getting to play the role for a third and quite possibly final time as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As more and more behind-the-scenes images and information start to surface leading up to the show's premiere, it makes me all the more excited to see these two actors come together once more for “the rematch of the century.” I am especially happy for Christensen as he will finally get to prove himself to every single person who ever doubted his ability to play the iconic Sith Lord. For those still unconvinced at this point, I find their lack of faith disturbing.
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Source(s): Screen Rant