It's almost here. The emotional climax of the Star Wars saga, The Rise of Skywalker, will be with us by Christmas. Time to start getting your lightsabers (curtain rails covered in highlighter) ready for opening night.
But what do we actually know about the final entry? Well, we don't know whats going to happen – that's how films work – but everything else is pretty much set in stone. From the release date to the run-time, here's all the info we have on The Rise of Skywalker:
What does the title mean?
Revealed at the end of the first teaser trailer, the decision to opt for The Rise of Skywalker has inspired a flurry of fan theories.
Luke Skywalker has seemingly perished, and the late Carrie Fisher will obviously have a much-reduced role in the movie (LucasFilm included unused footage of the actress from The Force Awakens in The Last Jedi, but it’s doubtful that there’ll be enough left for her to have a sizeable part in the finale chapter, and the studio have confirmed that they won't be using special effects on a separate actress).
LucasFilm head Kathleen Kennedy has previously revealed that General Leia would have been the focus of Episode IX prior to Fisher's death.
“The minute she finished, she grabbed me and said, 'I'd better be at the forefront of IX!' Because Harrison was front and centre on VII, and Mark is front and centre on VIII. She thought IX would be her movie. And it would have been.”
As we say, many fan theories have been floated: Luke could return to the Force as a ghost; Rey could turn out to be a Skywalker; Kylo Ren could get an opportunity for redemption; Skywalker could just be a general term for a Force user. Maybe it means absolutely nothing, but sounded cool and Star Wars-y enough so they just went for it. We’ll find out soon.
Where’s the final trailer?
Right here! The trailer was released on 21 October alongside a big, tear-jerking orchestral score and some dramatic goodbyes. The D23 trailer in August showcased what fans are referring to as “Dark Rey” – will she turn to the dark side? No idea, obviously, but it looks like she'll have that big face-off with Kylo Ren. Things don’t look good for C-3PO, either.
When is the release date?
It was originally pencilled in for 24 May 2019 when the new Star Wars saga was being mapped out a few years ago, but it was eventually pushed back to 20 December 2019 due to the dropping of Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World, The Book of Henry) as director. J.J. Abrams, who directed The Force Awakens, returned to the helm.
What’s the run-time?
155 minutes. That’s 2 hours and 35 minutes – the longest Star Wars movie yet, beating The Force Awakens by a grand total of 3 minutes (if you watched the whole series through, you're looking at around 24 hours in front of the TV. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday). It’s not quite as bloated as Avengers: Endgame’s 181 minute run-time, but it’s a bladder stretcher for sure. The fact that we’ve now got a final figure means that J.J. Abrams has, assumedly, settled on his final edit.,
Any new cast members?
We'll be seeing Yardie's Naomi Ackie play new character Jannah, who the actress describes as a "warrior" and a "part of the Resistance", while Richard E. Grant will join as stern-faced villain, Allegiant General Pryde. Its been rumoured that his character will actually be revealed as the father of Domhnall Gleeson's character, General Hux.
Who wrote the script?
Originally, Jack Throne – who co-wrote the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stageplay – was brought in to rewrite Trevorrow's script, but Screen Rant reported in September 2017 that Argo's Chris Terrio and J.K. Abrams were then brought in to rewrite it again.
Can I buy a ticket?
Alright, keen bean. If you're in the US you can get your tickets here. If you're anywhere else, you can be patient.
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