“Star Wars: Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” star Hayden Christensen recently made an appearance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Photos surfaced online of Christensen standing in front of the famous Millennium Falcon attraction and inside the ship’s cockpit. Another photo showed him helping a young child with a purple lightsaber.
Disneyland Resort shared the photos first on Twitter.
“Recently Hayden Christensen checked out @StarWars: #GalaxysEdge at #Disneyland park. The Force is strong with this one!” the tweet read.
Social media weighed in on the photos, too.
One Twitter user said the photos show an “alternate universe” where the character Anakin Skywalker never turned to the dark side.
“First pic- an alternate universe wherein the Jedi Council accepted Anakin’s marriage and Anakin got to teach Leia lightsaber safety as she trained,” the user tweeted.
Christensen was often criticized for his role in the “Star Wars” prequels, with many slamming his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. But fans seemed to heavily support the actor.
“The acceptance of Hayden Christensen back into the hearts of ‘Star Wars’ fans is easily my favorite thing about Star Wars,” one Twitter user wrote about the photos.
The photos come as speculation rises about whether or not Anakin Skywalker will return to the “Star Wars” franchise for “The Rise of Skywalker,” which will hit theaters in December.
Christensen made a brief appearance at Salt Lake City’s Fan X convention earlier this year with Ian McDiarmid, who plays Emperor Palpatine. Rumors suggested that Disney canceled the panel with both stars out of fear of “Rise of Skywalker” rumors.
The online rumor mill is churning with speculation that Disney canceled a panel between Christensen and McDiarmid, two “Star Wars” stars who were slated to speak at the Salt Lake FanX Comic Convention last week.
Multiple reports suggest Disney threatened legal action against FanX Salt Lake if Christensen and McDiarmid spoke on the panel. One report from the time explained that those who visited the panel were told through an announcement that Disney didn’t want the panel to take place.
When asked about these rumors, a FanX representative told me at the time, “I don’t have any information on that.”
Interestingly, Christensen and McDiarmid appeared at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City earlier in the day, an event that I attended. The two appeared with John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimili in “Lord of the Rings.”
The press release for the appearance said: “The meeting will take place in the Ronald McDonald Room. Filming can only be done in the Ronald McDonald Room. A hospital representative will escort the media to the Ronald McDonald Room at 10:30 am. Hayden, Ian and John will arrive a few minutes before 11 and after visiting with children will be available for brief media interviews.”
No such interviews took place, though.
A staff member at the event told me there would be no interviews. He said Christensen and McDiarmid had busy schedules and would not be available for interviews. He said the press release should have said the “Star Wars” actors would “possibly” be available for interviews.
“Star Wars” fans speculated that the event was canceled because Christensen and McDiarmid may both appear in the upcoming “Rise of Skywalker” film.