Following “The Book of Boba Fett” and “The Mandalorian” season three, which just announced it had started production, the Lucasfilm series, “Ahsoka” is expected to be the next big “Star Wars” TV show to go into production. Announced by Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy last December, the new Disney+ show will follow Ahsoka Tano (first introduced in live-action during “The Mandalorian” season two as played by Rosario Dawson). The character is former padawan of Anakin Skywalker, first presented in “Star Wars” lore during the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars” series. During her brief appearance on “The Mandalorian,” Ahsoka Tano had been seeking the Imperial villain Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the assumption has been she’ll be continuing that mission in the upcoming solo series.
READ MORE: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Series: Hayden Christensen Will Reprise His Role As Darth Vader
An exciting casting development has been announced by The Hollywood Reporter, as Hayden Christensen is returning to the Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader role in “Ahsoka.” This news comes off the heels of the Canadian actor wrapping on “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” where he will be reuniting with his prequel trilogy co-star Ewan McGregor and is expected to be playing Darth Vader in a bulk of his scenes.
The big difference for “Ahsoka” is the series takes place several years after “Return Of The Jedi” and the death of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. So if Christensen appears in the series, it’ll either be as flashbacks to a time when he was younger and still training Ahsoka or as present-day force ghost— as he appeared in Lucas’ updated “Return Of The Jedi” special edition.
If you’re not familiar with the animation side of the franchise, as mentioned, Tano was Skywalker’s apprentice on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” and the two developed a strong bond. Ahsoka started rather rebellious but eventually acted as the responsible one when Skywalker became more and more arrogant and reckless, paving the way for his turn to the dark side. During the series, Tano eventually left the Jedi Order and did not finish her training when she was accused of being behind a terrorist attack she did not commit. The loss of Ahsoka was meant to be yet another blow to the emotional psyche of Skywalker, all contributing to him eventually walking down the wrong path.
Skywalker helping Ahsoka Tano on her journey to find Thrawn would undoubtedly be a bold new way to reintroduce Christensen into the series in the current timeline, but as of right now, all we have is speculation. The two had previously interacted with each other in “Star Wars: Rebels,” following Skywalker’s turn to the dark side as Vader.
Dawson is currently filming Disney‘s new “Haunted Mansion” movie for Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Lando“), which means “Ahsoka” will likely not begin production until they’ve finished with the third season of “The Mandalorian.” Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are behind the “Ahsoka” series, as they are with “The Book of Boba Fett,” both serving as executive producers, and Filoni, who co-created the Ahsoka character with George Lucas during the animated years, as head writer.