This is strictly RUMOR, but once again, there is buzz that Hayden Christensen will appear in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’. According to a report from Showbiz411, Christensen is “confirmed” and will appear as a Force Ghost. Such RUMORS have been swirling for some time now, going as far back as last April. In September, Disney called up Salt lake City’s FanX Con and ordered that a panel which would have featured Christensen and Emperor Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid be canceled about an hour and a half before it was to have taken place. It is known that Palpatine will appear, as his voice has been heard both laughing and speaking in the trailers for ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
It would make sense that a Darth Vader would appear in this film somehow. It’s hard to wrap up a saga as epic as ‘Star Wars’ without one of the focal characters of the first six pictures. Christen played Anakin Skywalker in ‘Attack of the Clones’ and ‘Revenge of the Sith’. Anakin, of course, became Darth Vader, possibly the greatest cinematic villains of all time. He is also the father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, making him the grandfather of the series’ current major antagonist, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). A lot of the two most recent films have revolved around a desire on the part of Rey (Daisy Ridley) to turn Kylo Ren away from the Dark Side, and there are indications that Rey will continue with her efforts to save the former Ben Solo.
Christensen reportedly filmed his scenes last year.
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Showbiz411 also declared that Harrison Ford will also make an appearance in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, although no other information was given. This wouldn’t be a huge shock, nor would it seem to present much of a problem. Ford could have come back, or they could have used archival footage, in the same way director J.J. Abrams constructed a performance for the late Carrie Fisher in this new film. His appearance would obviously be in a flashback of some kind.
While Ford emerged from the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy as an in-demand leading actor, his costars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher did not find Hollywood stardom, but went on to success in other areas– voice acting for Hamill, and writing for Fisher.
Similarly, Christensen did not find stardom as a result of ‘Star Wars’. His attempt to launch a new franchise, ‘Jumper‘, was a box office failure. Since then, he has been relegated to low-budget, low-profile films. This is a bit of a shame, as pre-‘Star Wars’, he was considered a star on the rise, after strong performances in ‘Life is a House’ and ‘Shattered Glass’. Unfortunately, his appearance in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is likely to be a short cameo, so it’s not likely that this will lead to any better film roles.
Are you hoping to see Christensen and Ford in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (if they actually appear)? Are there any other cameos you’re hoping to see?
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ arrives in theaters on December 20th.
