New Book Imagines Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

There are a ton of cameos in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" -- from Daniel Craig, to Ewan McGregor to Simon Pegg. But if a leaked book is any indication, another actor supposed to make a special appearance is Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader himself, Hayden Christensen.

This was hinted in a book called "The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens." It was revealed that the Canadian actor was close to reprising his role from the "Star Wars" prequels in the latest film as a Force ghost, much like how he appeared in "Return of the Jedi."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" concept artist Iain McCaig apparently suggested for Anakin to turn up once more. Talking about his proposal, McCaig told the book's author Phil Szostak (via E! Online) this:

"'When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.' That inspired me to propose, for the first time, that Anakin's ghost could come back [...] If we see Anakin Skywalker, because he does flow back and forth between Darth Vader and Anakin, let's see him as a character with a dark and light side. The reason Luke is this whole new entity is because he was the first to acknowledge his own dark side - that it was not separate from him."

A snap of the leaked book shared on Twitter by Independent, shows concept art of a disfigured and hooded Anakin, which looks very much like Christensen. The real reason as to why the actor never made it to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" remains a mystery.

However, The Guardian has a couple of ideas. The site says that it would have been odd to see Christensen, who hasn't appeared in the big or small screen for quite a while, reprising his iconic role in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The Guardian points out that the actor was a recipient of the Razzie award for worst acting twice -- in "Attack of the Clones," and then in "Revenge of the Sith." The fact that Disney and director JJ Abrams is doing their best to stay away from the shadows of the prequels as much as possible may have already sealed the deal. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" continues to break blockbuster records across the globe, and as more and more moviegoers watch it, fans get to be treated to more details regarding the making of the film. Just recently, Lucasfilm creative executive Pablo Hidalgo revealed on Twitter that the film was tentatively titled "Shadow of the Empire," which makes fans think of the 1996 "Star Wars" novel and video game "Shadows of the Empire."