Vader Unmasked

If there's one thing audiences have been gearing themselves up for throughout The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, it's the evolution of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader. From the moment we heard that James Earl Jones' booming bass had been commissioned for a five-minute segment at the end of the final film, visions of the iconic black armour swam before our fevered eyes. However, according to Anakin himself, Hayden Christensen, the black look may not be in for 2005. Asked if he'd end up in the traditional Vader garb for Episode III the actor surprisingly answered in the negative. "No, not as far as I know," he told E!Online. "It's not in the story if we begin from where we left off." So there'll be no mask? No asthmatic breathing? "None of that, as far as I know. But that's very little. George Lucas is notorious, he keeps it all very secretive." As you all sit there in stunned, nay mortified silence, we'd like to set your minds at ease by saying that, well... we don't believe a word of it. Far be it from us to second guess the man himself but we just can't see an Episode III ending without Darth Vader's appearance - helmet, cloak and all. While Christensen may not have been given the heads up, we don't reckon George Lucas will leave us disappointed. It might even be worth bearing in mind that, given the original Vader, David Prowse, was a towering six-foot-seven-inches, it's quite likely that Christensen won't actually be the one in the outfit when the Sith Lord makes his debut.