Congratulations to the team at Lucasfilm and Disney. Their roll out of the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was a mega-success. In the first 24 hours the teaser trailer rose to an impressive 111 million views, which according to Deadline, was 20 million more than The Last Jedi.
Note: much of this post speculates about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and even gets into a bit of spoiler territory. So avert your eyes once you get past the video if you want to avoid serious rumors and potential spoilers!
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One of the big mysteries teased by the title “The Rise of Skywalker” is a renewed interest in Rey’s parentage. In a recent interview with ABC, Director J.J. Abrams made clear that Episode IX will further explore Rey’s parentage in a way that ‘honors’ the revelations in “The Last Jedi.” In that film Rey was told by Kylo Ren that her parents were unimportant scavengers. But Rey also had her own revelations after her encounter in the cave after finding Luke Skywalker.
“I will say that we knew, going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion,” said Abrams. “And we were well aware that that’s one of the things that’s been out there. I don’t want to say that what happens in Episode 8 [didn’t happen]. We have honored that. But I will say that there’s more to the story than you’ve seen.”
In a recent interview with MTV John Boyega, who plays Finn in the latest Star Wars films, stated he “honestly believes” that he will never again play that character following the events of Rise of the Skywalker. Apparently it all leads to “that war that just ends everything.”
“Honestly, the bottom of my heart, I don’t think I am. I don’t think I am. I really do feel that way. This really is that movie, I think everyone doesn’t believe it, but this is that war that just ends everything.”
In the interview Boyega also talks about his chemistry to Oscar Isaac, aka Poe Dameron, and whether he’ll miss Poe or BB-8 more.
.@JohnBoyega talked to us about his chemistry with his @StarWars #EpisodeIX co-stars, his beef with BB-8, and how he “honestly thinks” he will never play Finn again pic.twitter.com/4FspZCcITJ
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) April 18, 2019
Sounds dark and potentially dangerous for our favorite Star Wars heroes. I don’t want to speculate too much, especially if he’s deliberately avoiding revealing what actually happens by obfuscating.
There was an even bigger rumored covered by Making Star Wars. We know that Carrie Fisher will be back, despite her untimely death, as General Leia Organa using previous filmed but discarded scenes from “The Last Jedi,” but this rumor places Harrison Ford actually on set reprising his role as the departed Han Solo.
No, Han won’t appear as a Force Ghost, but in a flash back, or force vision seen by Kylo Ren, as he focuses on the burned-out mask that once was his grandfather Darth Vader’s. We see someone repairing that mask in the teaser trailer for Episode IX.
For this clip, Ford reportedly filmed new footage – which sees Han talking to his wayward son, telling him it’s not too late to consider redemption.
This would be a big surprise given how much Ford wanted out of the Star Wars franchise, but when J.J. Abrams asks you for a cameo, I imagine it’s hard to refuse.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on December 20, 2019.