While that never came into fruition, Abrams found another way to tip his hat to the prequels: having Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Concept art from the film featured an Anakin Skywalker Force ghost (modeled after Hayden Christensen) that was torn between the Dark and Light sides.
Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakensobviously leaned on the nostalgia of the original trilogy to sell moviegoers on the return to a galaxy far, far away, but the production team wanted to make sure that all aspects of the saga's history were acknowledged.