Originally published December 26, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
Warning. This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Proceed with caution…
Now that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally here, we’ve been able to see for ourselves which rumours turned out to be accurate, and which ones were pure fabrications. In the build up to the release, there had been persistent speculation that Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader would appear in Episode VII, either in a flashback or as a Force Ghost, and it seems the latter was actually considered during the early stages of development.
SEE ALSO: Why Han Solo is the worst thing in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
In the Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens book, concept artist Iain McCaig is quoted as stating:
“‘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.”
Also included in the book are a few pieces of concept art, showing a Return of the Jedi (Special Edition) style Force Ghost, along with one that blends Anakin with Darth Vader…
As it happens, Hayden Christensen has been rumoured for an appearance in Star Wars: Episode VIII, so perhaps they decided to hold back until the next film…
Would you have liked to see Anakin / Vader appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Let us know in the comments below…
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens sees J.J. Abrams directing returning stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar), in addition to Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year), Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Ken Leung (Lost), Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), Max von Sydow (The Exorcist), Jessica Henwick (Spirit Warriors), Christina Chong (24: Live Another Day), Simon Pegg (Star Trek) and newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=a6omXbnUpMY
