Everybody wants to be the first with a new scoop about the upcoming Star Wars trilogy. But this one is a doozy.
Darth Vader, chronologically last seen in Return Of The Jedi dying and having his remains cremated by son Luke Skywalker, will be making a return in the new films according to Britain’s The Daily Express. According to their sources, the armor clad Sith Lord will be resurrected to “play a significant role in the new films.”
Now I suppose a case could possibly be made for this. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader is one of the central characters throughout the current six films. George Lucas has repeatedly stated that the films’ story was about the fall and redemption of Anakin. I can see that if you wanted to continue with a new trilogy you might think that having Vader be a part of that would be a given. Unfortunately, doing so would undercut the action of the entire middle trilogy and diminish the heroism Luke Skywalker shows in not just killing his father but rescuing him from the Dark Side of the Force.
But that’s just a storytelling concern. From a business standpoint, I can definitely see why Disney would be interested in making sure that one of the franchise’s most iconic characters was in play for the new films, even despite the fact of his apparent death at the end of Return Of The Jedi. We already know that Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher may be returning, but then again their characters were still alive when last we saw them.
We should keep in mind that this story originates with a British tabloid, which immediately places it in the “Suspicious” category. And we’ll keep it there for the time being until we learn whether or not this is an intention of screenwriter Michael Arndt.
