The home planet of Luke and Anakin Skywalker, Tatooine, will play a role in J.J. Abrams’ wildly anticipated series update Star Wars: Episode VII, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There’s no real reason to doubt THR’s story, especially after news broke a little while back that the film would be shooting in Morocco for a few weeks, so we’re considering this rumor to be a lot more reliable than many others that have emerged over the months.
Most of the original Tatooine sets existed in Tunisia, but it’s currently unknown whether or not Abrams will move production there after wrapping on the film’s Morocco set. Disney is obviously sparing no expense on Star Wars: Episode VII, so whether or not he ends up shooting the film’s Tatooine scenes in Tunisia as well is likely entirely dependent on how large a role the desert planet ends up playing in the sequel.
THR recently wrote that:
“Sources tell THR that J.J. Abrams and Disney are planning an extensive re-creation of the desolate home of Luke and Anakin Skywalker in a Morocco-like environment.”
It makes a lot of sense that, in order to please fans of the iconic franchise, Abrams would return to the single most important planet in the Star Wars canon. After all, Tatooine was where C-3PO and R2-D2 landed at the beginning of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, where Luke Skywalker and his father Anakin were both raised, where Anakin was turned to the dark side, and where Jabba the Hutt imprisoned Han Solo after the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
What role it will play in the new film is, like everything about Star Wars Episode VII, being kept tightly under wraps. However, if I were to hazard a guess, I’d imagine that, after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Luke returned to Tatooine to live out the rest of his days. Considering the young cast members rumored to be cast in the film, including John Boyega, perhaps Luke is setting up a Jedi academy on Tatooine. Alternately, Tatooine could be where we first meet the film’s villain, rumored to be played by Adam Driver.
The possibilities are really endless for how Abrams could use Tatooine, but fans will likely to be happy to learn that the director is incorporating classic parts of the Star Wars franchise into the update.
More on Star Wars: Episode VII will surely emerge as we draw closer to the film’s December 18th, 2015, release date, but it may be a while before we know any concrete details, given Abrams’ notorious secrecy.