Luke Skywalker gets a Shakespearean Star Wars makeover in a fun adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi — old school style!
As a Star Wars lover and lover of English literature, I was tickled pink to discover some years ago that Star Wars films were being adapted into Shakespearean iambic pentameter.
The adaptation comes from author Ian Doescher with the artistic talents of Nicolas Delort gracing the cover of these creative books. For the cover of The Force Awakens, Delort put BB-8 on the cover dressed to the nines in Elizabethan garb – complete with a little, feathered cap and a cap draped over his spherical shoulders.
In this most recent installment in the series, Jedi the Last – Star Wars Part the Eighth, we see the austere face of Luke Skywalker. His clothing is a mixture of Elizabethan elegance and his old, brown Jedi cloak. This Luke looks more like the Luke at the end of The Last Jedi as he is far cleaner cut than the bedraggled Luke we see at the end of The Force Awakens and the beginning of The Last Jedi.
To BB-8 or not to BB-8? That's the question https://t.co/5FygdBV82I
— Darkside Creative (@KylohuxH) March 28, 2018
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In addition to Luke’s face, some of the other characters from the film make an appearance on the cover. Rey, Kylo, Snoke, and AT-M6, and a ski speeder cover the four corners of the book’s cover.
In an interview with StarWars.com, artist Nicolas Delort said that he chose these characters to feature because they highlight the central focus of the film. (i.e. the fight for Kylo Ren’s soul). Delort states:
"“The fight scene in Snoke’s throne room is one of the most fantastic scenes in the entire sage for me and I wanted to hint to it on the cover.”"
When asked why he chose a more serious tone for this novelization than he did for The Force Doth Awaken: Star Wars Part the Seventh, he said:
"“The Last Jedi does have a lot of humor, but the overall tone is still very dark, although maybe not as dark as Empire Strikes Back. It opens with the Resistance losing a lot of lives, showing Luke as a bitter, tired old man, the First Order scoring significant victories and Rey struggling with her temptation to the dark side…and it ends with the loss of Luke, the legendary Jedi. So, it seemed only appropriate to have a solemn portrait of him on the cover.”"
Next: TLJ novel shows bond between Rey and Anakin
So, if, like me, you are a fan of the Bard and Star Wars make sure to get yourself a copy of Jedi the Last – Star Wars Part the Eighth and read the rest of the interview with Nicolas Delort at starwars.com. Let us know in the comments if you’ve read any of these adaptions!