To literally bring Darth Vader back from the grave at this point in the Star Wars series would be considered blasphemy by many a fan, but in a franchise where the line between living and dead has always been a little blurry, we definitely wouldn’t rule out getting some kind of cameo from Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX.
In fact, it seems to be the one rumor that just won’t go away, with countless theories, supposed pieces of evidence and more surfacing over the past few months to support the idea. And now, we can add something else to the list, with a cryptic Tweet from /Film’s Peter Sciretta fueling speculation of a Vader cameo.
Taking to Twitter, here’s what he wrote that sent everyone into a frenzy:
If you want some hints about Star Wars Episode 9, you might want to revisit some of the early concept art from Star Wars The Force Awakens. 😉
Obviously, that put fans on a furious hunt for answers and most of them ended up digging through The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to browse through Iain McCaig’s work. And one piece in particular really stood out, which you can see for yourself in the gallery below.
Additionally, there was an image of Anakin’s Force Ghost standing behind an older Luke. All this of course led people to believe that Sciretta’s tweet was hinting at a Vader cameo, but shortly after, he Tweeted the following:
This isn’t the big twist of Anakin being alive (the number one image I keep getting sent to me), it’s more of smaller ideas, locations and aesthetics. I hope anyone who picked up and paged through their TFA art of books enjoyed revisiting that beautiful concept art.
That seemingly puts the idea to bed, but it’s certainly strange that he mentions a twist of Anakin being alive, since no one really seems to think that, anyways. And though he says that what he’s hinting at is more “smaller ideas, locations and aesthetics,” it’s still possible that Vader will show up in the film and Sciretta is teasing that his appearance will be inspired by the designs we see in The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Of course, this should all be taken with a pinch of salt, though with Lucasfilm holding back on the details of Star Wars: Episode IX, we don’t blame fans for jumping on any development as a clue of what’s to come. Still, when the evidence is this flimsy, maybe it’s best to just sit back and remember that all will be revealed when the movie hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.