Lucasfilm recently announced that Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney+, though fans are wondering if the actor will also end up voicing the character as well. After all, James Earl Jones has been the voice of the sinister villain ever since he first appeared on our screens back in 1977, so how will this dynamic play out?
Among concerns that the return of Vader and his rematch with Obi-Wan could diminish their final confrontation in A New Hope, some people are speculating about the kind of role Christensen will play in the live-action series. Since the events of the narrative are taking place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, the big bad will be appearing in his iconic robotic suit. So, the question is: how will the Prequel Trilogy actor be involved in the project?
A prominent theory is that there’ll be flashback sequences depicting the days of the Galactic Republic and the Clone Wars, where Anakin and Obi-Wan fought side by side against the Separatist Army for three years. If that’s the case, then, can we actually expect James Earl Jones to return as the voice of Vader when the Dark Lord decides to go hunting for his former master? Well, we’ve yet to hear anything from Lucasfilm on the matter, which has concerned a lot of fans, and here are just some of the reactions going around social media:
So Hayden Christensen is coming back for Obi-Wan. So James Earl Jones is too, yeah?
— Kory Mills (@_k_Millz) December 14, 2020
Everyone is gleaming about #HaydenChristensen returning to #StarWars to play Darth Vader in the Disney+ Obi-Wan series (which is definitely cool), but has James Earl Jones been committed to the cast as well?
— 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 🎥🎞🎬 (@CraigKoban) December 13, 2020
Is James Earl Jones returning to do Darth Vader as well? It’s one thing to be #CrayCray4HayHay but that’s only half the deal…I don’t want them announcing that Gilbert Gottfried is stepping in to take over vocal duties!!! #StarWars
— Julian James (@bigdaddyjulianj) December 14, 2020
Wait a sec… so much starwars was announced all at once I didn't really process it at the time, so this just occurred to me: how the hell is Hayden Christensen in the Obi Wan show if it's set between eps 3 and 4 when he should be in the Vader suit and voiced by James Earl Jones?
— Kevin (@kevin_bowen) December 13, 2020
Wait so is Hayden Christenson voicing vader too? Or is James Earl Jones?
— Day 1 Al Horford Fan | Big Bopper (@BigBopperBrand) December 13, 2020
So is James Earl Jones still going to be the voice of Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series? #StarWars #DisneyPlus
— Shawn Ambrose (@BirdLand_S_E) December 12, 2020
It’s difficult to imagine Hayden’s voice over Darth Vader. Though if the villain ends up taking his helmet off, we can expect the actor to talk without needing the apparatus. Then again, that’s something we’ve hardly seen him do, if ever, in the Original Trilogy. As such, it’ll be interesting to learn how the Obi-Wan Kenobi team will tackle this issue when it debuts in 2022.