Beware: Spoilers forStar Wars: The Force Awakensabound in this post.
As development onStar Wars: The Force Awakenstook a few rather interesting turns over the course of the screenwriting and pre-production phases, many people (myself included) began anticipating something other than the release of the film—the release of the tell-all book that dives into the behind-the-scenes stories. We only know vaguely that producerKathleen Kennedy’s director search touched on a few names we’re familiar with afterJ.J. Abramsfirst passed (David Fincherbeing one of them), and we know that after a year of working with Abrams, screenwriterMichael Arndtwas essentially “let go” as Abrams andLawrence Kasdantook over screenwriting duties. What did that original version ofEpisode VIIentail, and why was it jettisoned?
A bit more light was shed recently when Arndt opened up about the screenwriting process, revealing thatone of his early ideas involved having Luke Skywalker as a main character in the film. Well it turns out another character we know quite well was also originally supposed to appear: Anakin Skywalker. That’s right, Kylo Ren’s grandpappy was on tap to make an appearance inEpisode VII, but the idea was—obviously—discarded somewhere along the line.
However, the new bookThe Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakensactually reveals some concept art of Anakin’s ghost, showing us exactly how he might have looked had he popped up within the context of the film.
So what’s with the Two-Face treatment? ArtistIain McCaigexplains (viaScreenCrush):
“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.”
It’s unclear exactly how Anakin fit into the story of the movie, which no doubt was quite different from what we’re seeing now, but it’s not hard to imagine Ghost Anakin appearing before (or haunting, maybe?)Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. Indeed, inThe Force Awakens, when Ren is talking to Darth Vader’s disfigured mask, he asks his grandpa to show him “again” the power of the darkness, alluding to the fact that he’s conversed with Vader before.
It’s entirely possible that Abrams and Co. decided Anakin wasn’t appropriate forThe Force Awakens, but that Kennedy still plans on bringing the character back forEpisode VIIIorEpisode IX. If that happens, he may look a little something like the above artwork. The question then is, doesHayden Christensenreturn? The prequels aside, we know the guy is capable of delivering a good performance in films likeShattered Glass, so maybe directorRian Johnsoncan finally give Christiansen a bit of a redemption.
We’ll find out (or not) whenEpisode VIIIopens in theaters on August 17, 2025. For plenty more looks at the development ofThe Force Awakens, click here to purchaseThe Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
