Anakin Skywalker is returning to Star Wars…. And we’re not talking about Hayden Christensen reprising the Star Wars role, either. He, of course, played pre-Vader Vader in the final two installments of the prequel trilogy. Last year Disney and Lucasfilm also confirmed he’ll return to fill the role in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. For seven seasons of The Clone Wars, however, another actor portrayed the emotionally tortured Jedi. It seems Matt Lanter is returning to the role he shares with Christensen, as well.

Clone Wars preview; Anakin Skywalker; MAtt Lanter
Anakin Skywalker *voiced by Matt Lanter) in the final season of The Clone Wars. (Image: Lucasfilm Ltd. )

The voice actor recently spoke to media about his upcoming Netflix project Jupiter’s Legacy. During an interview with EW, he let slip the fact that we’ve not yet seen the last of animated Anakin Skywalker. According to Matt Lanter, Lucasfilm Animation has something new cooked up for the Chosen One. What Star Wars will hold for the character and the actor, though, he’s not saying.

Matt Lanter will reprise role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars

“There’s some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I’ve been a part of some things I can’t talk about yet. You’ll see Anakin again. I never quite put Anakin down, whether I’m doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation.”

~ Matt Lanter on reprising his role of Anakin Skywalker

How he’ll return is an interesting question. Speculation might suggest he’d appear in The Bad Batch (arriving May 4th). We’re not sure that will be the case, though, First, we know from the teaser for the show that the bulk of it will take place after the Clone Wars have ended. Anakin Skywalker had already transformed into Darth Vader by then. Still, the possibility of flashbacks, as is likely with the Kenobi series, does admittedly remain. So how will Matt Lanter return?

Matt Lanter; Anakin Skywalker; Star Wars
Matt Lanter’s live-action Star Wars debut was short-lived. (Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.)

It’s also possible he could reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker in one of the other two, new animated features Lucasfilm announced back in December. Don’t forget, we have the animated A Droid Story, featuring C-3PO and R2-D2, as well as the anime anthology Visions, coming soon, too. However he returns, we’re  glad that his death scene in The Mandalorian wasn’t the last we’ll see of Matt Lanter in Star Wars.

Source: EW