A report is circulating online which claims that Disney was responsible for the last minute cancellation of a panel featuring Star Wars’ Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen at the FanX convention in Salt Lake City this past weekend.
The Mouse House is alleged to have threatened the organisers with legal action should the panel take place and lead to the reveal of any Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker details, which – as you might expect – has now ramped up speculation that Hayden Christensen may be set to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in Episode IX.
As we already know, The Emperor will be present in the new film in some capacity, and given that The Rise of Skywalker is being billed as the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, it seems logical that the film could – or perhaps even should – make an appearance too.
The panel cancellation certainly seems to add weight to the possibility – although it’s also possible that Disney was simply concerned about McDiarmid and Christensen being bombarded with questions about their potential involvement in the film and wasn’t prepared to take the risk of anything being confirmed or denied at this point.
What do you think? Do you think we’ll see Hayden Christensen returning to the role of Anakin for The Rise of Skywalker? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set for release on December 19th 2019 in the UK and December 20th 2019 in North America with J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
