Darth Vader TV Series Happening?
Darth Vader could be headed to the small screen.
This article is more than 2 years old
Darth Vader is arguably the most popular character in the entire Star Wars canon. His iconic visage and tragic story make him one of the most compelling villains in all of pop culture history. And if a new report is true, it sounds like Disney wants to take advantage of his classic status for a brand new project.
Mikey Sutton of Geekosity is reporting that the Mouse House is in the initial stages of developing a Disney+ series that would center around Darth Vader. Sutton goes on to say that a series centering around Darth Maul was the original idea, but that gears have shifted and now Disney things making a Sith-oriented show would fare better if Anakin Skywalker was the focal character. Considering that he continues to be one of the most beloved pieces of merchandise in the Star Wars canon, that sounds like it makes sense.
What adds more credence to this scoop is that Sutton says this new show would not only center on Darth Vader, but that it would also be led by the character of Doctor Aphra. She was created in the comic book series Star Wars: Darth Vader, so pairing her with the Dark Lord of the Sith makes a lot of sense. This tracks with older news that Disney was trying to develop a series around her. Pairing her with the Dark Lord of the Sith would be a smart way to introduce audiences to a new character by hooking them with a familiar one like Vader.
Maybe the most surprising piece of this news is that Sutton claims that Disney wants to bring Hayden Christensen back for the role of Darth Vader, giving him some digital de-aging for flashback scenes. This would be a pretty monumental return if it did happen. Christensen might be able to work out a deal much like Pedro Pascal has with The Mandalorian. He could provide voice work for the majority of the performance – which would likely get warped to sound more like the classic Vader we all know – and a body double would do the majority of the suit work.
This almost sounds like a no-brainer of an idea. A Darth Vader series on Disney+ would definitely be a big draw for young and old fans. It would allow a cinematic focus on the character as Darth Vader that we have never really seen before. While we got plenty of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels, the story of Vader has only really been told in the original trilogy and in supplemental releases like novels and comic books. It could be very interesting to see how his story could unfold.
Sutton reports that this potential Darth Vader series would take place after A New Hope, so it could explore events that took place between that movie and The Empire Strikes Back. Vader was searching for Luke Skywalker during that time, and this show could fill in some gaps about what his search led him to discover.
We will have to see if this comes true or not, but we would not be surprised if Disney’s new focus on streaming material for Disney+ means that this gets an official greenlight sooner rather than later.
