Might the drive — and fortunes — be with you.
The lightsaber utilized by Darth Vader in the course of the latter two movies of the unique “Star Wars” trilogy can be auctioned off alongside a slew of different memorabilia from the franchise and is anticipated to rake in tens of millions, in keeping with a report.
The hilt of the first dueling lightsaber utilized by masked villian throughout “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” will go available on the market at Los Angeles’ Propstore in September and is predicted to promote for wherever between $1 million and $3 million.
The prop hilt is believed to be the primary of its variety to go available on the market, as no different lightsabers from the unique trilogy ever went to personal patrons. They have been as a substitute cycled via museums, with Luke Skywalker’s lightsabe from “The Empire Strikes Back” residing with Ripley’s Consider It or Not.
“Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honored to present this historic artifact in our September sale. It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world,” Propstore COO Brandon Alinger informed The Hollywood Reporter.
Beginning in August, the prop can have its personal press circuit from London to New York earlier than lastly parking in Beverly Hills, the place it’ll be bought to the best bidder.
The public sale coincidies with the forty fifth anniversary of “The Empire Strikes Back.”
The identical tour will function different famed props from acclaimed classics, together with the bullwhip and belt worn by Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and a hero close-up neuralyzer, or pen-like object that wipes minds, from “Men in Black.”
Propstore contains a lengthy lineup of different relics from traditional franchises, together with extra from “Star Wars” like presents given to crew members after the movies wrapped and a duplicate of the lightsaber utilized by Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Grasp performed by Liam Neeson, within the prequels.
Darth Vader’s dueling lightsaber was held on-screen by the late David Prowse, the bodily actor for the Sith Lord, and stunt double Bob Anderson.
The fallen Jedi was voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones.
In 2022, the gun utilized by Han Solo, performed by Ford, in “A New Hope” bought for $1 million. It’s only one in all three surviving fashions from the trilogy.
In June 2024, a toy figurine of bounty hunter Boba Fett from the Seventies bought for a staggering $525,000.
