A new Star Wars movie is always going to generate a certain amount of hype, but the upcoming
final installment in the Skywalker Saga may just be the most anticipated film in the franchise
yet.
Here's everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The first trailer for Episode IX revealed that the film was titled The Rise of Skywalker,
but that was just one of several surprises that the teaser had in store.
The opening shots find Rey showing off her new abilities in a stand-off with a TIE Fighter
on a desert planet that is likely Pasaana, a new location revealed by the coverage of
a set visit by Vanity Fair.
Finn and Poe also get in on the action, and there's also a cheeky shot of the droid D-O,
BB-8's new companion.
But one of the biggest takeaways from the first teaser comes as a stinger at the end.
Despite having been thrown to his seemingly certain death by Darth Vader in 1983's Return
of the Jedi, it seems that Emperor Palpatine is somehow coming back.
The Episode IX trailer ends with a shot of the Death Star's wreckage and Palpatine's
unmistakable cackle, implying that The Rise of Skywalker will see a new generation of
heroes facing off against the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Palpatine actor Ian McDiarmid also appeared onstage at Star Wars Celebration 2019 immediately
after the big trailer reveal, essentially confirming his involvement in the movie.
"Roll it again."
Like The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi before it, The Rise of Skywalker is hitting cineplexes
worldwide in December.
The trilogy-capper was originally scheduled to be released in May 2019, but a series of
destabilizing changes behind the scenes made that target unattainable.
Not long after Disney removed directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller from Solo: A Star Wars
Story, and sidelined Gareth Edwards on Rogue One in favor of rewrites and reshoots supervised
by Tony Gilroy, Colin Trevorrow was also fired from The Rise of Skywalker.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy considered bringing
The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson back for Episode IX at one stage, but the powers that
be ultimately opted for the steady hand of J.J. Abrams instead.
The Rise of Skywalker will be released on December 20, 2019 in the United States, though
many overseas fans will get to see the film a little sooner.
The U.K., Australia, Brazil, and Argentina are all getting the movie on December 19,
while residents of Italy, France, Norway and Sweden can see the movie a day earlier than
that.
You probably won't be surprised to learn that Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac
are returning, they're the heroes of the sequel trilogy, after all.
But they'll be joined by a whole host of faces both familiar and new.
For fans of the original trilogy, one of the biggest moments in the Episode IX trailer
was seeing Lando Calrissian back in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Billy Dee Williams was reprising the role in July
2018, but details of Lando's part in The Rise of Skywalker were kept under wraps in the
months that followed.
Many now believe that Naomi Ackie, who is playing a new character named Jannah, will
be revealed as Lando's daughter during the film.
The up-and-coming British actress was asked about this at Star Wars Celebration 2019,
and her noncommittal answer only served to fuel rumors that she's a member of the Calrissian
family.
She told IGN:
"Lando is a very charming man, so he could have children all over the universe, that's
all I'm saying."
"You look absolutely beautiful.
You truly belong here with us among the clouds."
Dominic Monaghan of Lost and The Force Awakens' Greg Grunberg also both have roles in The
Rise of Skywalker, and they aren't the only Abrams alumni appearing, Mission Impossible
III's Keri Russell is also playing a new masked antagonist by the name of Zorri Bliss.
One theory that's gained a lot of traction following the release of The Rise of Skywalker's
first trailer posits that the title isn't actually referring to any single character.
A number of people now believe that the word Skywalker will become a term used to describe
members of a brand new order, one that is at peace with both sides of the Force.
As Inverse puts it:
"These people, from Rey to Kylo Ren, to that little stable boy with the broom at the end
of The Last Jedi, will not be Jedi or Sith.
They will be Skywalkers."
Comments made by The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams seem to support this theory.
At Celebration 2019, Abrams told fans:
"This movie is about the new generation.
What they've inherited, the light and the dark, and ask the question about facing the
greatest evil: are they ready?"
In May 2018, a Reddit poster with an impressive track record when it comes to Star Wars spoilers
claimed to have seen what was described as a very early storyboard for Episode IX.
This alleged production art begins some five years after the events of The Last Jedi, and
it seems that, in that time, Kylo Ren has managed to hoodwink the entire galaxy.
The user wrote:
"Kylo Ren's rule over the galaxy is seen by most as benevolent.
Many within the Resistance itself are questioning why they should even be fighting."
This post came hot on the heels of John Boyega teasing that Finn would have a new hairdo
in Episode IX.
He told Yahoo:
"I can't wait to start shooting the next and final leg of the franchise.
The first step is growing out my hair, so you can wait for the trailer to see why."
This all but confirmed that the story will catch up with Finn and the surviving members
of the Resistance sometime in the future, but will five years really have passed?
That's what those earlier spoilers claimed, but according to an article in Empire, it's
not exactly the case.
In its official 2019 preview, the magazine stated:
"John Boyega has confirmed [Episode IX] takes place one year after the events of The Last
Jedi."
So while a time jump may be in effect, it also might not be that drastic.
After purchasing the rights to Star Wars for more than $4 billion in 2012, Disney decided
to clean house in a big way when it comes to the series' canon.
Prior to the release of The Force Awakens, the company declared that all Expanded Universe
materials, essentially, anything that wasn't depicted in the franchise's movies or television
shows, were no longer considered to be official Star Wars canon.
The Mouse House then set about creating its own line of short stories, comics, and books
to tie in with the new continuity, and one such release in the new Expanded Universe
might just include a huge clue about a major development for an Episode IX character.
In the 27th issue of the Poe Dameron comic series, a conversation Poe has with Rey and
Finn seems to confirm that he's been unwittingly channeling the Force all this time.
Marvel's Poe Dameron comics overlap with J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens.
#26 explained how Dameron survived that crash on Jakku and filled in what he did between
then and rescuing Rey and Finn from the First Order, but it was the following issue that
really got readers talking.
In that story, Dameron admits that he's been able to tap into some kind of "energy" while
flying, prompting both Rey and Leia to suggest he's been using the Force.
The seeds of this reveal were actually planted in the 2015 series Star Wars: Shattered Empire.
This prelude to The Force Awakens explains how Luke Skywalker gave remnants of a force
sensitive tree to Dameron's parents, who used them to grow a new tree at home on Yavin 4.
Dameron even mentions growing up around this tree, further foreshadowing his connection
to the Force.
During The Last Jedi, Yoda showed up as a Force Ghost to help troubled former student
Luke Skywalker come to his senses and embrace his failures, a standout moment in the saga's
divisive eighth episode.
Yoda was rendered in CGI for the prequel trilogy, but Johnson chose to go back to basics and
brought in Frank Oz to operate a slightly updated Yoda puppet.
Creature designer Neal Scanlan said:
"We just felt that it was absolutely right and proper that we create the puppet in the
closest likeness to the original and to give Frank exactly what he had the first time around."
Renowned puppeteer Oz, who provides Yoda's distinctive voice as well as his movements,
could also soon be adding Episode IX to his impressive résumé, if a new report is to
be believed.
According to the New York Daily News, a source with apparent knowledge of the production
has revealed that J.J. Abrams is going to bring Force Ghost Yoda back.
The insider said:
"The success of the scenes featuring Yoda in The Last Jedi were huge.
Yoda will again appear as a ghost as he acknowledges Rey's success and growth as a Jedi."
Lucasfilm's original position on Carrie Fisher's inclusion in future Star Wars movies was pretty
clear, she wouldn't be appearing in any.
Before the release of The Last Jedi, Kathleen Kennedy told ABC:
"Sadly, Carrie will not be in [Episode] IX."
The idea that they could digitally render a version of Fisher like they did with Peter
Cushing's Tarkin in Rogue One was quickly ruled out after execs met with Fisher's daughter,
Billie Lourd.
All parties reportedly agreed that it would be disrespectful.
At the time, bringing Leia back with unused footage from The Last Jedi was also said to
have been off the table, but things have shifted since then.
Disney have since confirmed that Fisher will indeed be in Episode IX, with J.J. Abrams
apparently set to use footage shot for both The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens.
According to ABC's Clayton Sandell, who spoke to Carrie Fisher's brother Todd on podcast
The Resistance Broadcast, the family are very happy about what Abrams has planned.
"Wait a minute, where'd she go?
Bring her back.
Play back the entire message."
The idea of Darth Vader returning to the big screen in Episode IX might seem ludicrous
on the surface, but it seems Disney has been subtly paving the way for the iconic Sith
Lord to play some part in the upcoming installment.
After reading Marvel's Darth Vader comics, which chronicle the villain's first years
working under the Emperor, ScreenRant noticed one small detail that could be foreshadowing
a future appearance in the movies.
The ins and outs of becoming a Force Ghost have been up for discussion among Star Wars
fans ever since Luke Skywalker passed on in controversial fashion at the end of The Last
Jedi.
The assumption was that returning as a Force Ghost was something only those in tune with
the light side of the Force could do, but shouldn't the Sith have their own version
of this phenomenon?
Turns out they do, and it was explained in the pages of the Vader comic.
In the story in question, Vader is gifted a mask that once belonged to another powerful
Sith called Darth Momin.
Momin's "residue" was still attached to the artifact when Palpatine gave it to his third
and final apprentice, who used it to help erect his castle on Mustafar.
The forgotten Sith was able to influence others, and tell his story to Vader, via the mask.
ScreenRant's prediction is that Vader will similarly influence proceedings in Episode
IX, seeing as his grandson Kylo Ren is in possession of Vader's half-melted mask.
The backlash that Ed Sheeran received following his Game of Thrones appearance ought to have
put him off cameos for life, but if rumors circulating in the British press are to be
believed, the award-winning singer-songwriter has gone on to film a scene for Episode IX,
too.
Sheeran abandoned his Twitter account after irate Game of Thrones fans told him exactly
what they thought about him popping up as a Lannister soldier in the season 7 opener.
Luckily for Sheeran, fans won't be able to spot his mystery scene in the upcoming Star
Wars installment, because his famous red hair will be hidden by a stormtrooper's helmet.
Dan Woolton, executive editor of The Sun, confirmed:
"I can reveal the world's most successful male singer has been seen suiting up for scenes
to appear in Episode IX, which has been filming at Pinewood Studios since August."
Sheeran won't be the first famous Englishman to don the iconic white uniform on the sly;
Daniel Craig snuck into The Force Awakens as a Stormtrooper in a scene with Rey, and
Princes William and Harry were in The Last Jedi, though their scene only made the home
version as an added extra.
According to London's Evening Standard, the royals were cut out of the final movie because
they were just too tall to be stormtroopers.
With appearances in Doctor Who and Game of Thrones under his belt, veteran character
actor Richard E. Grant already had some major fan cred when he was cast in The Rise of Skywalker.
As it turns out, he's a big Star Wars fanboy himself.
On the podcast Happy Sad Confused, the actor opened about the moment J.J. Abrams told him
he'd be part of the final chapter in the Skywalker saga, and revealed how he was so excited that
he couldn't actually take anything in.
For a time, the most popular theory was that Grant would be taking on the role of Grand
Admiral Thrawn, a popular Expanded Universe villain reintroduced into canon in the third
season of Star Wars Rebels, but the actor outright debunked that rumor when the Radio
Times asked him about it.
When Vanity Fair released a huge Episode IX cover story in May 2019, the identity of Grant's
character was finally revealed, he's playing a new villain named Allegiant General Pryde.
As the magazine reported:
"The Oscar nominee promises to bring on-screen menace and off-screen glee."
Most fans didn't love the fact that The Last Jedi neglected to include the Knights of Ren,
a team of warriors first teased in the promotional materials for The Force Awakens.
Kylo Ren's band of fighters appear briefly when Rey touches Luke Skywalker's lightsaber
and triggers a force vision, but they were left out of Rian Johnson's follow-up because
he couldn't find a place for them in the movie.
According to Vanity Fair's Lev Grossman, however, The Rise of Skywalker is going to finally
provide some answers about the mysterious gang.
Fans got their first good look at these so-called "elite fearsome enforcers of Kylo Ren's dark
will" in Annie Leibovitz's extensive photoshoot, and what's immediately clear is that they're
not your typical Star Wars villains.
In contrast to the sleek and shiny look adopted by the First Order and the Galactic Empire
before it, the Knights of Ren wear dirty, rag-tag armor and carry over-the-top weapons.
Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson wrote:
"Their D.I.Y. look, including one especially lethal-looking gun arm, would be equally at
home in one of the Mad Max movies."
Their identities have not yet been revealed, though fans think they have a pretty good
idea about where they came from.
In The Last Jedi, Luke reveals that Kylo vanished with a handful of his Padawan learners when
he set the temple ablaze and turned his back on the Jedi.
Did Luke's former students become the Knights of Ren?
Now that the Emperor's involvement in The Rise of Skywalker has been confirmed, it's
safe to assume that he'll be involved in the film's final battle.
Who, where, and how he'll be battling isn't really certain, but according to Making Star
Wars editor Jason Ward, there's a huge rumor doing the rounds that pits Kylo Ren against
Palpatine, in the form of Matt Smith.
The British actor has been telling journalists that he isn't in Episode IX, but that's a
claim that runs contrary to many reports about the movie.
Even international Disney websites are listing the former Doctor Who star as being among
the cast, and Jason Ward believes that he'll be playing a critical role.
Ward reported:
"A really solid source over the years passed on something they heard internally.
The rumor is that Matt Smith isn't Palpatine reborn or rejuvenated, but a dark side acolyte…During
the final act of the film, Rey and Kylo team up to fight the Palpatine-possessed Matt Smith."
Ward's inside source claims that Kylo Ren is possessed by the Emperor after killing
his host body, leading to one last moment of redemption.
The tormented son of Han Solo and Leia Organa has enough light left in him to lay down his
arms so Rey can finish the job, becoming Ben Solo again in his final moments.
With Kylo Ren dead and Rey being apparently too pure of a person for the Emperor to possess,
the fight against Palpatine is won at last.
Luke Skywalker vanishes after helping Leia and what's left of the Resistance escape at
the end of the The Last Jedi, passing on peacefully into the Force.
It was a highly divisive moment for fans, and one that director Rian Johnson was forced
to defend.
As the backlash grew, Johnson reminded everyone that we may not have seen the last of Skywalker.
He told Variety:
"I don't know where the next movie is going to go.
But it seemed like the potential of Luke crossing into [a] new realm, that offers exciting possibilities
for the role he plays in the coming chapter."
Yoda returned as a Force Ghost in The Last Jedi, and rumors that Skywalker will do the
same in the upcoming sequel have been around for some time now.
In 2018, Pinewood insiders claimed that sets were being erected for two Episode IX scenes
involving Mark Hamill.
An Express source claimed:
"This may well indicate that Luke will appear as a Force Ghost to Kylo Ren and Rey separately."
Thanks to Hamill himself, this rumor can now be classified as a spoiler, the actor has
since confirmed he's appearing as a Force Ghost in The Rise of Skywalker.
In June 2019, he told the Associated Press:
"The fact that I'm involved in any capacity is only because of that peculiar aspect of
the Star Wars mythology in that, as a Jedi, you're allowed to come back and make a curtain
call as a Force Ghost."
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