Latest news with #StarWars:ReturnOfTheJedi
South Wales Guardian
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Star Wars lightsaber used by Darth Vader to go up for auction
The weapon and duelling prop used in the 1980s films, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, will go up for auction in September. The live auction, hosted by memorabilia auction house Propstore, coincides with the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with the prop estimated to sell at £746,000 to £2,241,000. The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson. According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this 'believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction'. Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: 'The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age. 'Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world's most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. 'They are the 'ruby slippers' of cinema's modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale. 'It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be — one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.' The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring. It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots. Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September. The tour will feature other film artefacts from Propstore's September Los Angeles Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, including Indiana Jones's bullwhip and belt, Sauron's helmet from the Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring and the shark tooth clapperboard from the 1975 film Jaws.
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Star Wars lightsaber used by Darth Vader to go up for auction
The Star Wars lightsaber used by villain Darth Vader will go under the hammer for the first time. The weapon and duelling prop used in the 1980s films, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, will go up for auction in September. The live auction, hosted by memorabilia auction house Propstore, coincides with the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with the prop estimated to sell at €860k to €2.6m. Darth Vader's lightsaber is going up for sale (Propstore/PA) The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson. According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this 'believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction'. Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: 'The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age. 'Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world's most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. The lightsaber was used in two films (Propstore/PA) 'They are the 'ruby slippers' of cinema's modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale. 'It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be — one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.' The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring. It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots. Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September. The tour will feature other film artefacts from Propstore's September Los Angeles Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, including Indiana Jones's bullwhip and belt, Sauron's helmet from the Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring and the shark tooth clapperboard from the 1975 film Jaws.
RTÉ News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Star Wars lightsaber used by Darth Vader to go up for auction
The Star Wars lightsaber used by villain Darth Vader will go under the hammer for the first time. The weapon and duelling prop used in the 1980s films, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, will go up for auction in September. The live auction, hosted by memorabilia auction house Propstore, coincides with the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with the prop estimated to sell at £746,000 (€860,000) to £2,241,000 (€2,584,000). The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. 🔥 The wait is over... this IS the Darth Vader lightsaber you've been looking for! Find out more with our exclusive reveal with the @THR #DarthVader #Lightsaber #StarWars #Propstore — Propstore (@propstore_com) July 15, 2025 It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson. According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this "believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction". Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: "The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age. "Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world's most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. "They are the 'ruby slippers' of cinema's modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale. "It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be — one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever." The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring. It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots. Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September. The tour will feature other film artefacts from Propstore's September Los Angeles Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, including Indiana Jones's bullwhip and belt, Sauron's helmet from the Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring and the shark tooth clapperboard from the 1975 film Jaws.
Western Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Star Wars lightsaber used by Darth Vader to go up for auction
The weapon and duelling prop used in the 1980s films, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, will go up for auction in September. The live auction, hosted by memorabilia auction house Propstore, coincides with the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, with the prop estimated to sell at £746,000 to £2,241,000. Darth Vader's lightsaber is going up for sale (Propstore/PA) The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson. According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this 'believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction'. Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: 'The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age. 'Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world's most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time. The lightsaber was used in two films (Propstore/PA) 'They are the 'ruby slippers' of cinema's modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale. 'It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be — one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.' The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring. It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots. Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September. The tour will feature other film artefacts from Propstore's September Los Angeles Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, including Indiana Jones's bullwhip and belt, Sauron's helmet from the Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring and the shark tooth clapperboard from the 1975 film Jaws.
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Family of Warwick Davis' late wife hope inquest will ‘provide answers'
The family of actress Samantha Davis, the late wife of actor Warwick, said they hope an inquest into her death will 'provide us with answers'. Ms Davis died aged 53 at University College Hospital in London on March 24 last year. Warwick, known for his roles in Star Wars and the Harry Potter films, dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to Ms Davis during an emotional tribute at the ceremony in February. An inquest into her death is due to take place at place at Inner West London Coroner's Court on April 14. In a statement issued ahead of the hearing through their legal team at Irwin Mitchell, Ms Davis' family said it has been an 'incredibly difficult time' for them. They added: 'We know that the resilience and strength Sammy instilled in all of us will guide us through this difficult next chapter. 'Her love, support, and determination is a legacy we want to continue. 'Sammy's Helping Hands fund', which was set up in her honour, has already had a huge impact on young people in the dwarfism community, and will continue to support families all over the UK moving forwards. 'The last year and trying to come to terms with Samantha's death has been incredibly difficult. 'However, we hope that the inquest will at last provide us with answers. 'We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kindness and well wishes to us all.' Warwick Davis rose to fame as an 11-year old after being cast as an Ewok in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi. The couple met during the filming of 1988 fantasy movie Willow, in which he has a starring role as the hero Willow Ufgood. He later reprised the role in a 2022 Disney+ series. They married in 1991 and co-founded Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families. The pair also starred together in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, where Samantha played a goblin. Davis played Professor Flitwick in all eight films in the Harry Potter franchise and also portrayed the Gringotts Wizarding Bank goblin Griphook. The couple have two children.
