As one of the most important film franchises of all time, Star Wars has shown a tremendous amount of staying power through the years. Sure, other franchises like the MCU and Harry Potter have been huge successes, as well, but there is no denying the importance of Star Wars and its overall impact on pop culture.

During the late 90s and early 2000s, the prequel trilogy was all set to get underway, and fans were ready to see new and classic characters come together to tell the story of how the galaxy came to be in turmoil. A young Paul Walker was up for a prestigious role, though he eventually lost out on the huge acting gig.

Let’s look back and see what happened.

He Auditioned For The Role Of Anakin

Back as the 90s were coming to an end, news broke that a new Star Wars trilogy was going to be hitting theaters. This was a time when Star Wars media was not nearly as prevalent as it is now, and the hype for the new trilogy was through the roof. The trilogy was looking to cast someone to play an adult Anakin Skywalker in Episode II and III, and during this time, Paul Walker was up for the role.

Prior to this, Walker had already put in years of work in the business. The actor actually got his start acting professionally back in the 80s, and he would continue to plug away while looking for the role that would take his career to another level. Varsity Blues and She’s All That were two successful films for Walker that started to show mainstream audiences that he had a ton of star potential.

As great as this was, Walker was facing some stiff competition for the role. Names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Phillippe were also in contention for Anakin, which just proves how big of a deal this role was going to be in the prequel trilogy.

Despite everything going right for Walker during this time, the folks making Attack of the Clones wound up finding the right person for the job.

Related: Liam Neeson Still Has His Lightsaber From ‘The Phantom Menace’

Hayden Christensen Gets The Part

Despite being a total unknown, Hayden Christensen was the man who beat out all the rest for the role of Anakin. This was a huge win for the young performer, but not everyone was happy for his success.

When speaking to TeenMovieline, Walker would say, “I was really bummed out that I didnt get the part of Anakin. But there were rumors circulating, so I don’t know how close I came to actually getting it. Josh Jackson was apparently in talks to play Anakin, too. You can’t say anything, but a part of me was thinking…’You’d better not get it over me!’ At the same time, you’d be happy if he does get it rather than Hayden Christensen, some no-namer from Canada.”

Ouch. Clearly, losing out to Christensen was a sore talking point for Walker during that time, but he would be just fine after landing the role of Brian O’Conner in a little movie called The Fast and the Furious.

Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith both went on to be huge financial successes at the box office, but they also took a thrashing from critics and fans. It seems like no one dislikes Star Wars more than Star Wars fans, and the prequels lived in infamy for years. However, time has a funny way of changing things, and some recent Star Wars news has taken the fandom by storm.

Related: What John Boyega Has Said About Working On The 'Star Wars' Films

Christensen Will Be Retuning To Star Wars

There is no denying that the franchise has had some jarring highs and lows since being acquired by Disney, but one thing that has truly taken things to another level is the success of The Mandalorian. Thanks to this, Disney is bringing loads of fresh Star Wars shows alive, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will see Christensen return to the franchise.

Given that the performer has not taken part in a Star Wars project since 2005, news of his return was met with thunderous applause. He has not been as active in acting in recent years, but returning to play Darth Vader could have a profound impact on him taking more roles.

If Obi-Wan Kenobi is anything like The Mandalorian in terms of success, then Disney is going to keep fans flocking to Disney+ and sticking around. It could be a huge win for the studio and it could be an incredible redemption arc for Hayden Christensen.

Related: How Entertainment Weekly Predicted The Tragic Outcome Of 'Star Wars'

Paul Walker was in contention for Anakin Skywalker, and even though he missed out on a huge role, things wound up working out just fine for all parties involved.

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