The Disney+ panel at D23 ended in style with the announcement that an untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi
Star Wars TV series is indeed coming to the streaming service. Not many details were announced but Ewan McGregor was brought out on stage and finally able to admit that, yes, he is reprising the role!
What we do know is that the scripts for the show are written and shooting begins in 2020.
A timeline of all the
Star Wars movies and TV shows coming to Disney+ was shown and it's widely claimed on social media that this series will take place after the events of
Solo: A Star Wars Story.
With that in mind, there's a very good chance that Darth Maul's return will be addressed and that we'll finally get to see these two old enemies cross paths again...after all, this won't be that exciting to watch if it's just Obi-Wan wandering around the desert and keeping an eye on the young Luke Skywalker.
How excited are you guys for this news?
Hit the "View List" button to check out the latest
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker rumours!
Kylo Ren's "Creepy Castle" On Mustafar
There's a scene in
The Rise of Skywalker trailer where a sinister looking hairy hand can be seen repairing Kylo Ren's shattered mask. Apparently, that "ape man" has been described as the owner or caretaker of a "Creepy Castle/Sith Temple" which Kylo and his Knights of Ren are based at in the film.
It's said that this alien not only fixes Ren's mask but helps him activate a device which will allow the villain and his Knights to achieve their goals. Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to what that might mean, but it's thought that this sequence could take place on Mustafar, so there's a chance we'll finally get to visit Darth Vader's old castle on the planet...
The Knights Of Ren Return
The Knights of Ren appeared briefly in
The Force Awakens in a flashback/vision, but have been nowhere to be seen ever since. Well, they'll be making their presence felt in a big way in The Rise of Skywalker and it's said that they've returned from "The Beyond."
That could be a really dark part of the Galaxy which is even more dangerous and secretive than the Outer Rim, and it sounds like there might be a lot of significance regarding their whereabouts for the past few years. Maybe they were sent there by Supreme Leader Snoke?
About Those Sith Troopers...
While we'd already seen them in some leaked promo art, Lucasfilm officially revealed the Sith Troopers last week ahead of Comic-Con. The question is, why would Kylo name them "Sith Troopers" after seemingly turning his back on the Jedi/Sith conflict in Rian Johnson's
The Last Jedi?
We don't know the answer to that just yet, but it's said that their role here is one that is significant to the plot, so they're not just there to look cool and are clearly very important, elite warriors.
Han Solo's Return
Fans were really disappointed that
The Force Awakens didn't feature a reunion between Luke, Han, and Leia, but that could happen in this movie (even if it's achieved through special effects). One report claims that Harrison Ford will be reprising the role of Han Solo for an intervention of sorts with his son after Ben asks Darth Vader's helmet to show him "the darkness."
Luke Skywalker appears during that vision and it's then that Han appears and makes it clear to his son that it's not too late for him, and there's said to be a tone of forgiveness to this conversation. Han won't be a "Force Ghost" in the traditional sense, but is instead a vision brought about by Luke.
Rose And Finn Are Romantically Involved
While it was initially thought that Finn and Rey could end up being an item, Rian Johnson moved away from that in
The Last Jedi and instead introduced Rose Tico. Well, it's been reported that Finn and Rose will be romantically involved in
The Rise of Skywalker in order to give him "something to fight for."
That lines up with Finn deciding to stop running and embrace his role as a member of the Resistance.
Kylo Ren And Rey Meet Again
There have been hints that we'll get to see a new use of the Force in this movie and one report describes them as "Force Flash Fights." It sounds like Kylo and Rey will still have that link Supreme Leader Snoke created, but this time, they'll be able to physically interact with each other...and fight!
It sounds like one such battle will take them across the entire Galaxy and we may even revisit key locations in the franchise's history like The Lars Homestead and Ahch-To. It all sounds pretty confusing, but promises to be visually stunning and unlike anything we've seen in the franchise before now. This might also go some way in explaining some of the trippy imagery we've seen from the film.
Celebrity Stormtrooper Cameos
The Force Awakens featured Daniel Craig as a Stormtrooper, while a deleted scene from the sequel put Tom Hardy beneath one of the iconic helmets. Well, this time around, it's said that we can expect to "see" singer Ed Sheeran make an appearance alongside English chef Jaime Oliver.
Their scenes will take place on the movie's snow planet where they take on the role of standard First Order Stormtroopers rather than Snowtroopers. Stephen Colbert is also expected to suit up!
The Emperor's Return
The trailer for
The Rise of Skywalker confirmed that The Emperor will return, but how does that happen? Well, despite Matt Smith's denials that he will appear in the movie, it's said that his character is possessed by Palpatine's spirit. This reportedly leads to an intense battle with Rey and Kylo Ren teaming up against the "resurrected" villain.
It's said that Kylo manages to kill him but he then inadvertently becomes the Sith Master's new host. Despite struggling to regain control, he pleads with Rey to put him down and while it's not clear if she agrees, the site claims that he embraces the light as Ben Solo before meeting his maker.
Han Solo Is Rey's Father
Needless to say, fans were not impressed by the reveal that Rey's parents were just some random "junkers," but it sounds like J.J. Abrams could shake things up a little in this movie. Apparently, Han and Leia became estranged when she started training in the ways of the Force with Luke and while she returned to Han after deciding not to pursue the life of a Jedi, he had an affair.
That mystery woman ended up giving birth to a baby and, in case you hadn't already figured it out, that was Rey. Ben Solo later learned of this and his violent reaction to the news is what led to him being sent to Luke for training. It's not clear why Kylo Ren lied to her, but Lando is reportedly aware of what happened and tells Finn and Poe. Rey, however, learns this from another source.
Leia's Training
We mentioned this above but The Rise of Skywalker will reportedly also include some flashbacks. These are said to revolve around Luke and Leia talking about why she can't become a Jedi, and it seems as if they've had some sort of vision in which they foresee a disastrous future should she head down that path.
However, this report strongly indicates that they may have misread the situation or that what they saw could have been somehow manipulated. The significance of this hasn't been revealed, but it certainly sounds as if it could tie back into the Emperor's return.
Many thanks to Making Star Wars for much of the intel used in this post. Continue reading below for our recap of all the biggest reveals from Vanity Fair's The Rise of Skywalker coverage!
The End For The Sith...Or Jedi?
It's pretty obvious that the stakes in
The Rise of Skywalker will be high, but Vanity Fair's sources have dropped a bombshell which may completely re-evaluate how we look at this final chapter.
Apparently, the movie is finally going to bring an end to the millennia-long conflict between the Jedi Order and the Sith, and that means one of these groups is going to be destroyed for good.
Star Wars Isn't The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Due to some serious troubles behind the scenes, Lucasfilm delivered its first commercial disappointment with
Solo: A Star Wars Story. That led to Disney changing its entire approach to the franchise and Kathleen Kennedy has now shed some light on what that means moving forward.
"I think there is a larger expectation that Disney has," she admits when asked about producing five Star Wars movies since the acquisition back in 2012.
"On the other hand, though, I think that Disney is very respectful of what this is, and right from the beginning we talked about the fragility of this form of storytelling. Because it’s something that means so much to fans that you can’t turn this into some kind of factory approach."
"You can’t even do what Marvel does, necessarily, where you pick characters and build new franchises around those characters," she concluded.
"This needs to evolve differently."
The Biggest Challenge Faced By J.J. Abrams
Rian Johnson made a lot of unexpected creative decisions in
The Last Jedi and it's now up to Abrams to pick up where he left off. However, that's not the biggest challenge he faces with
The Rise of Skywalker; instead, he needs to deliver a satisfying conclusion.
"That’s the challenge of this movie," the filmmaker explains.
"It wasn’t just to make one film that as a stand-alone experience would be thrilling, and scary, and emotional, and funny, but one that if you were to watch all nine of the films, you’d feel like, Well, of course—that!" In other words, it definitely sounds like he's planning to bring things full circle with this movie.
Bringing Back Carrie Fisher's General Leia
Carrie Fisher tragically passed away quite some time before production started on this movie, and that left Abrams in a very difficult position, especially as fans want a decent ending to her character's story arc. It's a good thing the director remembered some footage of the actress he had left over from his time working alongside her on
The Force Awakens.
"It’s hard to even talk about it without sounding like I’m being some kind of cosmic spiritual goofball," he says,
"but it felt like we suddenly had found the impossible answer to the impossible question." Writing scenes around old footage, Abrams was able to fit Leia's dialogue into new contexts and found a new place for the beloved actress in this final movie.
"There are moments in this movie where Carrie is there, and I really do feel there is an element of the uncanny, spiritual, you know, classic Carrie, that it would have happened this way, because somehow it worked. And I never thought it would."
The Knights Of Ren Are Coming
As those official images made clear, the Knights of Ren are indeed set to factor into
The Rise of Skywalker and the movie will finally explore Kylo Ren's relationship with them. But what about the budding relationship he appears to have forged with Rey since they first met?
"[He] had been forging this maybe-bond with Rey," Adam Driver explains,
"and it kind of ends with the question in the air: is he going to pursue that relationship, or when the door of her ship goes up, does that also close that camaraderie that they were maybe forming?"
Rey Is A Full-Fledged Jedi Now
At the end of
The Last Jedi, we got a taste of Rey's powers and learned that she had stolen the sacred Jedi texts so she could learn the ways of the Force. Well, Vanity Fair's sources reveal that when we catch up with her in this movie, her training is pretty much complete. It also sounds like her story arc will revolve around her trying to bring back the Jedi Order Luke tried and failed to resurrect.
Kylo Ren And Rey's "Force Bond"
Driver has already teased the developing relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey, but the magazine adds that the Force connection first introduced in
The Last Jedi will continue to factor into the plot and it will run even deeper than we thought. Does that mean they're related, or could romance be on the cards? For now, that remains a mystery.
Daisy Ridley, however, has some thoughts of her own when it comes to how her character perceives the First Order's new Supreme Leader.
"I think there’s a part of Rey that’s like, dude, you f*cking had it all, you had it all," the actress explains.
"That was always a big question during filming: you had it all and you let it go."
Finn Finally Finds His Place
Finn was doubting his place in the Resistance the last time we saw him but his sacrifice play at the end of
The Last Jedi seemingly made it clear that the former Stormtrooper is finally ready to be a hero, a sentiment John Boyega echoes.
"I think he’s just an active member of the Resistance now," the actor confirms.
"Episode Eight, he couldn’t decide what team he was fighting for. But since then he’s made a clear decision." That should make fans of the character happy, especially after the tepid response to much of his story arc in Johnson's middle chapter in this trilogy.
One Year Will Have Passed
The Rise of Skywalker picks up a year after the events of the previous movie, and that's led to some big changes for Poe Dameron.
"There has been a bit of shared history that you haven’t seen," Oscar Isaac teases.
"Whereas in the other films, Poe is this kind of lone wolf, now he’s really part of a group. They’re going out and going on missions and have a much more familiar dynamic now." Seeing these characters together again promises to be one of the best parts of this movie, and honestly feels overdue at this stage.
The Movie's Newcomers
So, while we'll spend plenty of time with familiar faces,
The Rise of Skywalker will also introduce some new faces. As you saw in the aforementioned gallery, they include Keri Russell's Zorri Bliss, Richard E. Grant's Allegiant General Pryde, and Naomi Ackie's mysterious Jannah.
The site also mentions a tiny one-wheeled droid called D-O and a
"large banana-slug alien named Klaud." Common sense says we can expect a noteworthy actor to be hidden beneath that costume!
J.J. Abrams Starts Taking Some Risks
The Force Awakens came under fire for following the same blueprint as
A New Hope, so Abrams now seems keen to do something different with this finale.
"Working on nine, I found myself approaching it slightly differently," he admits.
"Which is to say that, on seven, I felt beholden to Star Wars in a way that was interesting—I was doing what to the best of my ability I felt Star Wars should be."
This won't be a remake of
Return of the Jedi, then, and Abrams adds that he found himself doing something different with the camera angles, lighting, and even story.
"It felt slightly more renegade; it felt slightly more like, you know, F*ck it, I’m going to do the thing that feels right because it does, not because it adheres to something."
The Movie's New Planets
Vanity Fair's cover story reveals two new planets: the desert planes of Pasaana which is
"on the edge of the galaxy" and the
"snow-dusted" Kijimi, the home of the shadowy Thieves' Quarter.
Not much more than that was revealed and we don't know how they'll factor into the story, but it's definitely refreshing to think that we'll be visiting more new locations in this Galaxy Far, Far Away.