Actor Hayden Christensen may be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode VIII," which will be directed by Rian Johnson. According to a report from Making Star Wars, a U.K. team will head over to the U.S. specifically to train Christensen for the role.
The report states that it is possible there will be a flashback sequence set during Anakin's prime, back when he was a powerful Jedi during the days of the Clone Wars. Many also speculate that Anakin might be coming back as a Force Ghost, similar to how Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) returned in later films after his character was killed.
According to Making Star Wars, it is more likely that Christensen will be trained for an action-heavy flashback sequence and not to portray a Force Ghost, which wouldn't require much physical stunt work.
It is also pointed out that this is one of the first times in the new sequel trilogy that the filmmakers are bringing elements back from the prequels. Fans and critics hold little love for the prequel trilogy and even J.J. Abrams stated that while he acknowledged that the prequels exist, he was pulling information and canonicity from the original trilogy instead.
Making Star Wars reports that this move may be the studios' way to help improve the prequel trilogy's public image and further tie together the "Star Wars" universe.
According to the report, Darth Vader will also be making an appearance in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," although it is not clear at this point if Christensen will also be filming Vader's scenes in that film or if LucasFilm and Disney will simply have a stunt actor play the role with James Earl Jones voicing the character.
"Star Wars: Episode VIII" will hit theaters on May 26, 2017.
