The man who played an adult Anakin Skywalker appears unrecognizable in 90 Minutes to Heaven, a moving Christian family drama film.
Hayden Christensen plays Don Piper, a car crash victim who underwent a celestial near-death experience, and sports brown hair and a mustache. The actor, who appears dark blond and fresh-faced in Star Wars Episodes II and III, stars in 90 Minutes to Heaven with Kate Bosworth, who plays his wife.
The movie is based on the New York Times best-selling biography by the real Piper, a Texas Baptist minister who more than 20 years ago was hit by a big rig while driving. With massive injuries to his leg and arm, he was pronounced dead for 90 minutes and then returned to life, claiming he had been to Heaven and had seen his deceased grandfather welcoming him.
""It was utter happiness,'' he told NBC News in 2013. "There's nothing to compare it to. I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to help people get there."
In the film, Piper's accident and difficult recovery are documented with touching scenes showing his wife, his kids and his friends. 90 Minutes in Heaven also features Dwight Yoakam, Grammy-winning Christian musician Michael W. Smith and E! News' Jason Kennedy, who makes his big screen debut.
"The whole experience was a pretty intense one," Christensen told E! News. "Just telling Don's story and everything that his family went through. It was an emotional journey."
90 Minutes in Heaven is set for release on Friday, Sept. 11.
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)