ST Anakin Skywalker in the New Films

Recasting Anakin would be a big mistake. This is the character central in defining how the force manifest itself. The force is kinda central in all SW movies. Therefore replacing the image of the man who is the force manifest would be diluting the buy in of the force itself. The foundation of all SW movies. Hayden is Anakin, if Anakin would appear in future movies he should be played by Hayden and no one else.

 

what if isn't up to the challenge then? what if his performance is terrible?

 

I do share your concern for level of performance and would, if you haven't already, watch "Awake" it's not Oscar worthy but the man is capable of not embarrassing himself. Outside looking in, Lucas wanted "something" from Hayden during 2 and 3 but lacked the skills to convey that to him. I believe what Lucas wanted was what we would expect from Anakin at those points in his life. However, the lack of the ability of Lucas to convey and Hayden to interpret and apply what Lucas wanted was the result. I think that was more of a contributing factor to the end result, less so Haydens youth and lack of experience. Reference an interview with Ford (can't remember when) where Ford is recalling how Lucas would want a certain performance and they were struggling with giving them what he wanted "just do that".
Hayden is too engrained in too many people's mind to not play Anakin Clone War etc. His unique placement in the universe of SW makes this the exception to the "Bond" theory.

 

Was Clone Wars Anakin modelled after Hayden, Matt Lanter or a combination of the two? I see a lot more Lanter in there than I do Christensen, but was just wondering what the designers' intentions were.

 

i definitely see hayden in there. i don't see why they wouldn't model it after him.

 

I don't think that is the case at all. Lucas conveyed what he wanted and HC gave him what he wanted. As can be gained from interviews they both were very specific and worked together to get what was wanted.

Comparing Lucas' abilities in 1976 to 25 years later simply doesn't work.

Trying to compare Han as a character to Anakin really can't work anyway. The one is a support player. The other is the central character of the saga.

 

Which is why he should be played by Hayden. My original point.

 

Interesting that they decided they had to make a point that HC was not going to be Vader in Rogue One (I don't think anyone ever seriously thought that likely anyway.)

http://screenrant.com/star-wars-rogue-one-han-solo-hayden-christensen/

It hasn’t even been stated who will don the costume this time around, but it will be someone new to the franchise. Prequel star Hayden Christensen isn’t coming back, per Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, when asked about the actor being in the movie:

“No. That is not true. I can confirm that. He is not.”

Of course we know that several stuntmen/actors are in the Vader costume though likely the fact that they are not talking about anyone "being" Vader in the Prowse mold.

 

They didn't "make a point of it." They (Edwards and Kennedy) were specifically asked by a fan/ reporter whether or not Hayden was in the film, and they answered. Not like they proactively put out a press release about it or anything.

 

There was a rumor a few months ago with an actor/bodybuilder linked to playing Vader in Rogue One; I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment. Sometime afterward, word came that "several" bodybuilders were being used.

I was disappointed hearing Kennedy say that Hayden would not appear in Rogue One. To me, having him appear briefly in that film would make more sense than him appearing in Episode VIII.

 

Of course they are gonna say "No"...same way they will answer...is Benedict Cumberbach - Khan?? "NO"...Ok different franchise but similar..they won't spoil a big surprise.



The fact that they published this shows the seriousness of bringing him back. Still not far from possible in E8.

 

I can see HC not being used for Rogue One, because apparently Vader will have action scenes, and as far as I remember, HC did get a Vader outfit made for him and he folded his arms on the Star Destroyer in Ep.III, but he would probably not work out well for action scenes. For one thing, I specifically remember them saying he was not quite tall enough - he had to wear platform shoes to reach the height of Vader. Also, he is not as big (buff) as a bodybuilder type. So, I can see why they didn't use him for Rogue One.

But I can definitely see him as a force ghost, or holocron recording, which would be awesome. I can see him as Vader for a brief scene not needing action movement. I think it would be cool to see him again in some way. And I agree, HC certainly IS Vader, in my book.

 

Just because they are asked questions doesn't mean that they have to answer.

It's not that easy!

 

That's quite different than "making a point of" Hayden not being in the film. They both had absolutely no intention of even discussing the issue until that fan brought it up. So all they did was respond to a fan question with clarity. Though since they did that, I imagine the chances of Hayden being in RO are around 0.0005%.

 

I'm sure it was discussed as far as what they would say when the question came up; whether or not they expected it at that particular appearance is anybody's guess. They could have said no comment, or been cagey with the answer. They could be lying or telling the truth, but it was clearly an intentional and thought out answer; it's not like the question would come as a surprise.

I tend to think this also.

Most people seem to think of acting and (especially) love scenes in certain way, as if every director is aiming for a Rhett/Scarlett love scene, when I think the sort of corny, trite, sappy love scenes Lucas was aiming for were more Flash/Dale. Whether or not you like the style of sci-fi he was aiming for, I think what he came out with in the end was pretty much what he wanted.

 

There's no point in having Hayden in R1, let alone playing any Vader that's already burned to a crisp because his face would be pretty indiscernible anyway. This is my opinion of course. Healthy Vader/Anakin/Force Ghost=Hayden should play. I don't think it's that big of a deal because Burned Vader is in a suit where you don't even have to show his face.

 

MODified: Not helpful.

 

I really do want Hayden back as a ghost with a different director in Ep VIII. I want to see him redeem himself in the public eye.

If anyone were to replace Hayden as Anakin and they went with the original end of Return of the Jedi route, get Bryan Cranston.

 

Bryan Cranston Anakin to Kylo Ren: "Stay out of my territory."

 

They need to reboot the prequels, so adding Hayden wouldn't really work.

 

Why?

 

oh we're not allowed to say.

 

mmhmm

 

Rebooting the sequels will happen some time after they reboot the (more popular) OT, which is a VERY LONG time from now. I may not live to see it, and I am under 50.