Fans believe that a last-minute cancellation of a Star Wars panel at a convention means that a major cast announcement is coming.
- READ MORE: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ – what we know so far about the final film in the trilogy
Actors Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen – who played Emperor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels respectively – were set to attend the event at Salt Lake’s FanX (September 5-7). According to fans at the event, Disney pulled the panel because it was concerned about spoilers leaking for Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
McDiarmid makes his return to JJ Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker this year, but theories that Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker remain just that – for now.
As The Independent reports, the biggest theory concerning Anakin’s return is that the film’s title refers to him and not Luke Skywalker. It’s rumoured that Anakin he will make a comeback as a Force ghost.
And a new book called The Secrets of the Jedi, which hits shelves in November, confirms that Anakin, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, returned a few times following the former’s fall from grace. They also guided other characters in how to become “Force spirits” after death.
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“Their spirits guided me for many years but vanished when I shut myself off from the Force. It’s a relief to feel their presence after all this time,” an excerpt from the book reads.
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker forms the final part of the sci-fi franchise’s sequel trilogy and is set for release in UK cinemas on December 19, 2019.