In April 2025, Lucasfilm re-released “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” in film theaters in honor of the movie’s twentieth anniversary. Though the preliminary fan response to George Lucas’ prequel trilogy was combined at finest and poisonous at worst, time has been kinder to these films, primarily because of the expansive canon materials such because the animated collection “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which helped enrich that period with deeper storytelling and character improvement. In consequence, audiences in 2025 flocked to revisit “Revenge of the Sith” and the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), a noble Jedi who will get radicalized by Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), and transforms into his new apprentice, Darth Vader (who’s voiced by James Earl Jones).
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Younger Anakin Skywalker was first portrayed by Jake Lloyd in 1999’s “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” Its follow-up, 2002’s “Star Wars: Episode II — Assault of the Clones,” then proceeded to leap 10 years forward within the “Star Wars” timeline. Nevertheless, earlier than Lucas settled on Christensen to hold on as the person who would turn out to be arguably the best villain in cinematic historical past, many different actors have been thought-about and/or auditioned for the position. Apparently, their ranks embody a fellow who shares younger Anakin’s ardour for racing. Certainly, stated actor would ultimately turn out to be recognized worldwide for his position in a franchise rooted in road racing tradition.
Paul Walker was within the working to play Anakin Skywalker
“Assault of the Clones” launched audiences to a 19-year-old Anakin, who had spent the final decade coaching because the Padawan apprentice to Jedi Grasp Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Provided that George Lucas opted to leap ahead in time, slightly than to proceed with Jake Lloyd, the seek for an grownup actor to play grown-up Anakin commenced. Many actors have been in rivalry for the position, with stars as large as Leonardo DiCaprio thought-about. Be that as it could, Paul Walker could also be one of the crucial intriguing candidates who auditioned to play the daddy of Luke and Leia Skywalker.
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Based on a February 2000 report from Leisure Weekly, quite a few web sites have been inserting Paul Walker very excessive on Lucas’ listing of contenders for the position of Anakin. Nevertheless, EW poured some Hoth-chilled water over that Mustafar-ignited campfire of a rumor, claiming that the 26-year-old Walker was thought-about too outdated to painting the 19-year-old Sith-to-be, as he wanted to look youthful than Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala. (Recall that Portman was 19 on the time of principal images on “Assault of the Clones,” whereas Padmé is 25 within the movie.)
Naturally disenchanted he missed out on what may have been the position of a lifetime, Walker ultimately shared his emotions on getting handed over in an interview with Teen Movieline (through Time):
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“I used to be actually bummed out that I did not get the a part of Anakin.However there have been rumors circulating, so I do not know the way shut I got here to truly getting it. Josh Jackson was apparently in talks to play Anakin, too. You possibly can’t say something, however part of me was pondering … ‘You’d higher not get it over me!’ On the similar time, you would be comfortable if he does get it slightly than Hayden Christensen, some no-namer from Canada.”
Paul Walker’s franchise pursuits drifted in a unique course
Manufacturing on “Assault of the Clones” came about roughly over the summer season of 2000. Elsewhere, proper across the similar time, Paul Walker was filming “The Quick and the Livid,” having been solid because the movie’s protagonist, Brian O’Conner, a Los Angeles police officer assigned to infiltrate a crew of the town’s road racers led by the eccentric Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Though, on the time, Walker seemingly would have most popular to be filming the subsequent “Star Wars” film below the course of George Lucas, little did he know that he was on his approach to headlining the primary entry in what would turn out to be one of many greatest franchises in Common Photos’ historical past, in addition to one of the crucial beneficial blockbuster movie collection of the twenty first century.
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Regardless of lacking out on a job in a galaxy far, far-off, Walker nonetheless grew to become a part of cinematic historical past himself (although one with a tragic ending). He would go on to reprise his position as Brian O’Conner within the “Quick” sequels, all of that are indicative of probably the most ridiculous titles in blockbuster historical past: “2 Quick 2 Livid,” “Quick & Livid,” “Quick 5,” “Quick & Livid 6,” and “Livid 7.” Sadly, through the manufacturing of “Livid 7,” Walker died in a vehicular accident. He had not accomplished his work on the movie both, so his brothers Cody and Caleb stepped in to assist end issues. “Livid 7,” in flip, honors Walker’s legacy within the franchise by ending with a extremely emotional closing sequence and a send-off for the Brian character, full with a montage that includes Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s chart-topper, “See You Once more.”
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