Popverse's top stories of the day

• How many chapters or volumes of a manga go into a season of anime? Dan Da Dan's producer gives us the answer
• Assassination Classroom is a Shonen anime well worth revisiting, ten years on
• No, there isn't a Kraven the Hunter post-credits scene - but it does set up a sequel - SPOILERS!

In 2005 Hayden Christensen suited up as Darth Vader for the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The iconic moment served as a climax for the Star Wars prequel trilogy, bridging the gap in Anakin Skywalker’s backstory. It seemed like Christensen’s time in the Star Wars franchise was done, but in 2022 the actor returned for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. This was followed by a surprise appearance in the 2023 series Ahsoka. During a spotlight panel at SpaceCon San Antonio, Hayden Christensen recalled his initial reaction when he got the offer.

“There was zero hesitation. I was elated to get the phone call. I was aware of the Obi-Wan project, and that Ewan [McGregor] was coming back to Star Wars, and I was so happy for him, and I wondered if there was maybe going to be an opportunity for me to come in and join him. It was a great phone call to get, to come back and do more with a character that I loved so much, and that has had such a massive impact on my life. It was just a real privilege.”

This led to Christensen reprising his role again for Ahsoka, which gave him the opportunity to work alongside Rosario Dawson and Dave Filoni.

“What was really exciting for me was that I felt like Anakin’s story had been told in the prequels, so we had already done all that heavy lifting, and now it was kind of an opportunity to color the character with a little more nuance. I was such a fan of Dave’s storytelling already, so to get to be a part of his take on the character was something that I just saw as a really awesome opportunity.”

“I was so pleased with the script. The first time I read the script for 'Shadow Warrior,' I was just blown away. I thought it was really exciting. I was thrilled to be a part of your show [looks at Rosario Dawson], and to get to work with you and play these characters together. It was an awesome opportunity.”

According to Christensen, he had no problem getting back into Anakin’s head.

“As far as the headspace goes, it’s a good question, but it’s a tough one to answer because so much of it is about gut feeling and intuition. I sort of feel my way through how that’s going to manifest itself and how I’m going to inhabit the character again.”

“Life is full of wonder, and sometimes you have to look for it, and other times it sort of smacks you right in the face. This was one of those times, I was like, ‘Wow, I get to do this with my friend and play these characters together.’ It was really special. The whole time we were there doing it, we were just pinching ourselves that we were fortunate to get to do this together.”

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.