Does anyone else hear the Imperial March in the distance? That can only mean one thing. The return of Darth Vader. Yes, that’s right, Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, the noble Jedi turned deadly dark lord of the Sith, in the Star Wars prequel movies, is returning to a galaxy far, far away.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Christensen will reprise the role of Vader for the new Disney Plus TV series Ahsoka. At the time of writing, it’s unknown how Vader will fit into the TV series as it’s set after his death in Return of the Jedi. Were we to hazard a guess, it’s likely that the series will either use flashbacks or Anakin will return to Ahsoka as a Force Ghost like how Obi-Wan appeared to Luke on Hoth.
The Ahsoka show will star Rosario Dawson as the titular character, reprising the role she first played in season 2 of The Mandalorian. It’s being written by Dave Filoni, who helped create the character for the animated series Clone Wars, while Jon Favreau will serve as the show’s executive producer.
First introduced in the animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars and fleshed out in the subsequent animated series, Ahsoka was introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. Over the course of the war, the pair formed a strong bond, and Ahsoka became a fan favourite.
She was one of the few Jedi to survive Order 66 and would help found the nascent Rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Ahsoka would outlive her fallen master and made the leap to live-action in The Mandalorian, where she helped Din Djarin find a new home for Baby Yoda.
Production is due to begin on Ahsoka in early 2022. It currently doesn’t have a release date, but we know it’ll be available exclusively on the streaming service Disney Plus. If you want some more out of this world better while you wait, check out our list of the best sci-fi series.