Movie goers won’t get to go back to a galaxy far, far away until December 15, but they can bet on Star Wars: The Last Jedi now. Episode 8 of the popular sci-fi franchise is expected to be among the most lucrative films of all time, according to sister site Covers, and many of the prop wagers available center around just that.
At William Hill, The Last Jedi is a big -1,600 favorite to boast the highest grossing U.S. opening weekend in 2017 and listed at -188 to gross over $1 billion U.S. in the domestic market. The eighth installment of the Star Wars saga is also set at -150 to have higher world-wide gross than Episode 7: The Force Awakens.
Disney Studios and LucasFilm are being very tight lipped about any major plot points for The Last Jedi, and that’s opened up some interested odds on possible story arcs for the film. You can currently wager on such props as, “Who will be the first major character to die?” and “Who is Rey’s father?”
When it comes to the Star Wars dead pool, Luke Skywalker tops the board at +150, followed by Maz Kanata at +250, General Hux at +325, Captain Phasma at +900, and big baddy Kylo Ren at +1,500. Looking for a live long shot to get killed off first, how about fan favorite Admiral Akbar at +4,000? But bettors be careful, it could be “A TRAP!”
As for odds on Rey’s daddy, Obi Wan Kenobi is a +120 front runner, followed by Han Solo +240, Luke Skywalker at +580, Emperor Palpatine at +810, and everyone’s favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett at +1,200.
And one final Star Wars prop to ponder, cooked up by our Covers oddsmakers, is “Will Rey lose a hand or arm in Episode 8?” With “Yes” at +110 and “No” a slight -120 favorite.
If you look back at the past two trilogies, both heroes Anakin and Luke took a bit of a beat down in the middle movie, with Anakin losing half his arm in Attack of the Clones and Luke famously getting his hand hacked off by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. If The Last Jedi keeps following the path of the original trilogy, Rey could be fitted for a robot appendage before Episode 9 rolls around.
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Covers.com, a site also owned by Tribune. For more entertainment props odds, visit Covers.com or follow @Covers on Twitter.
