Between Longlegs in 2024 and this year’s The Monkey, writer-director Osgood Perkins has run the gamut of horror subgenres. The former is a relatively restrained exercise in the surreal and psychological, while his most recent film skews towards gory excess and reads like a live-action Looney Tunes skit.
Each project Perkins takes on, while firmly embedded in horror, is a departure from the last. That trend will continue with his next film, Keeper; Perkins recently told Inverse that the story is “much darker, quieter,” and “more sophisticated” than The Monkey. There’s no telling what tone other future projects could take, but for what it’s worth, the director does have a major sci-fi franchise on his wishlist.
In a recent Reddit AMA, Perkins revealed the one project he’d love to make if money was no issue, citing Darth Vader as his ideal subject matter. Perkins’ hypothetical Star Wars project would explore “the collected dreams and nightmares of Darth Vader told as short stories.”
Perkins is just spitballing, but given the near-perpetual fan desire for a series focused entirely on Vader, his idea could be more than just a pipe dream. Hayden Christensen — who’s portrayed the character on and off for the past 20 years — is even open to returning for a meatier role. And if Perkins needs any help cracking the story, a fantastic Star Wars comic already explored the subject.
Thanks to shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, Vader is once again a presence in Star Wars live-action. It’s great to see Christensen back in the role, but comic book fans were getting a steady dose of Vader long before his return. Some of the best stories about the villain have been published in Marvel Comics, with writer Charles Soule and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli creating what might be the greatest Vader saga of all: Dark Lord of the Sith. Beginning in 2017 and set right after the events of Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, the series explores Vader’s early days as a Sith Lord. He’s still grieving the loss of his wife, Padmé Amidala, and in a quest to make good on Palpatine’s Episode III promise, he sets out to bring her back from the dead.
Vader’s quest culminates in Darth Vader #25, one of the trippiest stories in Star Wars history. From the depths of his fortress on Mustafar, Vader essentially astral projects himself into a Sith cave in search of the power to save Padmé. This spiritual journey takes him on a twisted survey of his past life as Anakin Skywalker. He encounters his pregnant mother, Shmi, and sees Palpatine looming over her. He also encounters his old Jedi Masters, and in a clever parallel to The Last Jedi, Anakin “lets the past die” by destroying them in a fierce duel. Finally, he finds some version of Padmé’s spirit, but she rejects him, claiming that “Anakin Skywalker is dead.”
After so much toil, Vader fails to achieve the one thing he’s always desperately wanted. That failure sends him even further into the Dark Side, making Dark Lord of the Sith an essential part of Vader’s origin story. Soule’s complex narrative and Camuncoli’s surreal visuals are revered by Star Wars fans, and many would like to see the story adapted in live-action. Perkins doesn’t have to create a 1:1 adaptation of the Vader comic — but it would be interesting to see his take on Vader’s inner world either way.
