Will Star Wars: Episode IX Pay A Visit To Vader’s Castle On Mustafar?

The cameras, they are a-rolling on the UK set of Star Wars: Episode IX. And we now have the cryptic first photo to prove it.

Released via J.J. Abrams’ social media feed earlier this afternoon, the image appears to have been captured from within the Millennium Falcon’s famous cockpit, though Lucasfilm is keeping a tight lid on any and all plot details – much like Avengers 4 before it, Episode IX is yet to reveal its actual title.

But that hasn’t curbed online enthusiasm for what is undoubtedly the final installment in the Skywalker Saga – a saga that first flickered into life more than 40 years ago – and over on YouTube, Star Wars tipster Mike Zeroh has cobbled together a new theory which suggests J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Chris Terrio are planning a trip to Darth Vader’s ominous castle on the fiery planet of Mustafar.

Zeroh contends that, by choosing to earmark Mount Etna in Sicily as a potential location for Star Wars: Episode IX, Disney may be planning a return trip to Vader’s skyscraping (and lava-spewing) haven.

Chalk this up as conjecture for now, but it’s worth keeping in mind that Revenge of the Sith shot on location in Sicily all those years ago, before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story swung by Mustafar in order to give Vader the introduction he deserves.

Speaking of Lucasfilm’s first Anthology flick, there’ve even been suggestions that Episode IX will harken back to Rogue One and Jedha, in particular, which was one of the planets targeted by Krennic while powering up the Death Star. This is another one for the rumor cabinet, though, as the Powers That Be have been pretty vigilant about keeping any and all spoiler-sensitive material out of the public eye… so far.

Star Wars: Episode IX closes the book on Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Saga next Christmas.