A controversial lightsaber auction from the original Star Wars film has been cancelled after Luke Skywalker himself cast serious doubts about its origin.
The auction was to take place on Thursday (December 13) as part of Profiles in History's Blockbuster Hollywood Treasures sale, but the auctioneer has now pulled the "original" Luke Skywalker lightsaber due to "conflicting information," a statement to Reuters revealed.
The weapon claimed to be the "original Mark Hamill 'Luke Skywalker' lightsaber" from the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope. The item was estimated to fetch upwards of $200,000 USD, but after getting wind of the auction, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill told potential buyers to beware.
"Be Advised," the actor wrote on Twitter last week, "There was no ONE lightsaber I used in the films, but many, MANY, both for myself & my stunt-double."
However, the Academy Award-winning production designer for the original Star Wars film, Roger Christian, maintained the lightsaber's legitimacy, telling the BBC, "There are five originals I handmade myself, and this is one of them. It is real — I've got the Oscar to prove it."
Despite that, the auctioneers stated they would not put it back up for auction "until Mr Christian can clear up the inconsistencies that have been brought to our attention."
The auction was to take place on Thursday (December 13) as part of Profiles in History's Blockbuster Hollywood Treasures sale, but the auctioneer has now pulled the "original" Luke Skywalker lightsaber due to "conflicting information," a statement to Reuters revealed.
The weapon claimed to be the "original Mark Hamill 'Luke Skywalker' lightsaber" from the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope. The item was estimated to fetch upwards of $200,000 USD, but after getting wind of the auction, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill told potential buyers to beware.
"Be Advised," the actor wrote on Twitter last week, "There was no ONE lightsaber I used in the films, but many, MANY, both for myself & my stunt-double."
Besides Hamill, Star Wars fans also cast doubts about the prop, displaying alleged discrepancies between the lightsaber shown in a letter of authenticity and the actual lightsaber in the auction catalogue. Some even claimed it was nothing but a replica or prototype prop.Be Advised-There was no ONE lightsaber I used in the films, but many, MANY, both for myself & my stunt-double. Multiple duplicate back-up props are commonplace during production-When the handle ridges were cutting my hands, they even made a few w/ soft sponge ridges! #BuyerBeware https://t.co/C6Tv4TGIPy
— MarkHoHoHoHamill (@HamillHimself) December 4, 2018
However, the Academy Award-winning production designer for the original Star Wars film, Roger Christian, maintained the lightsaber's legitimacy, telling the BBC, "There are five originals I handmade myself, and this is one of them. It is real — I've got the Oscar to prove it."
Despite that, the auctioneers stated they would not put it back up for auction "until Mr Christian can clear up the inconsistencies that have been brought to our attention."
