Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin's Star Wars timeline was Star Wars: The Clone Wars, yet Christensen did not voice Anakin in the show.

This 2008 red carpet interview with Hayden Christensen, posted on Reddit, confirms that Christensen would have wanted to voice Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars, but he "never got the call." Ultimately, Matt Lanter voiced Anakin in The Clone Wars—and he did a brilliant job—but it is somewhat surprising to hear Christensen wasn't tapped by George Lucas and Dave Filoni for the show.

It's clear that Christensen was very interested in the role, so the question remains: why wasn't Hayden Christensen considered for the voice of Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars?

Why Didn't George Lucas Bring Christensen Back Before?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Wasn't An Exact Fit For The Prequels

Although Hayden Christensen has only become increasingly beloved as the actor of Anakin Skywalker since the prequel trilogy, there are some reasons why Filoni and Lucas may have made this choice (none of which have to do with Christensen's acting chops). Arguably the biggest reason is the nature of The Clone Wars. The Clone Wars wasn't intended to be an exact match for the prequel trilogy, which is clear both in the voice actors and even in the character designs. It would have been particularly odd if Christensen had returned but other prequel trilogy actors didn't.

There's also the simple question of expense. While some of the prequel trilogy actors, Christensen among them, weren't exactly major stars before Star Wars, that had certainly changed by the end of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Given the number of episodes in The Clone Wars, even if they didn't know what that number would be at the time, this could have demanded quite the budget, which the show likely didn't have.

Thankfully, Everything Has Worked Out For Christensen & Star Wars Now

The Wait And Christensen's Return Ended Up Being Perfect

Even with the brilliant job Matt Lanter did and in light of some of the logic likely behind Star Wars' choice, it would have been brilliant to have Christensen back in the role of Anakin Skywalker again so soon after Revenge of the Sith. In the end, though, this only made Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin Skywalker so much better. A full 15 years after Revenge of the Sith, both Christensen and Ewan McGregor returned to the Star Wars screen in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

There was massive fanfare around this return, for good reason. Getting to see these prequel trilogy heroes together again after so long was incredible, and the emotional impact was so much more profound because this was each actor's return to the Star Wars screen—together. Although it's clear Hayden Christensen was more than game for a return as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, it was well worth the wait to see him again in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Source: Reddit