J. Abrams will return to Star Wars to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, so here’s everything we know about the sci-fi sequel so far. And the latest news is that actress Keri Russell may be in early talks with J. Abrams to join the next Star Wars installment in an undisclosed role.
So you watched Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, which hit movie theaters in mid-December, and you’re itching for hints about what’s to come? There are plenty of interesting tidbits emerging about the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, including some hints about what’s to come for two of the new trilogy’s most popular characters.
The latest trilogy of Star Wars films will conclude with Episode IX, with director J. Abrams returning to close out the latest arc of the iconic sci-fi saga after helming 2015’s franchise-relaunching Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens. He directs from a script he co-wrote with Academy Award winner Chris Terrio ( Argo, Justice League). The sequel trilogy’s final chapter is scheduled to hit theaters December 20,2019. Here is everything we know so far. Spoilers ahead.
Actress Keri Russell may be in early talks with J. Abrams to join the next Star Wars installment, according to Variety. Russell and Abrams previously worked together on Mission Impossible III. Lucasfilm executives and Abrams have reportedly been meeting with a few actresses to discuss a new role, and sources say that they have settled on Russell after a two-month search. No news yet on whether she will play a hero or a villain in the franchise, but she should bring the same great acting chops she’s offered to action-laden releases like The Americans and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Star Wars films are notorious for using working titles to throw off the public and keep production costs low in terms of locations and services. Episode VI — Return of the Jedi was shot under the guise of a horror movie called Blue Harvest. Meanwhile, Episode II — Attack of the Clones poked fun at the negative response to prequel trilogy’s Gungan leader with the title Jar-Jar’s Big Adventure.
Sometimes the production title can offer clues, though they may not make sense until after the film is released. Fantha Tracks has reported that the working title for Episode IX will be trIXie. The site claims that “the same research methods and public sources were used by the same team to uncover the production names of every Disney era Star Wars film to date.”
The Force Awakens was shot under the title AVCO, which Bleeding Cool reported was the name of the theater in Los Alamos where a young J. Abrams saw the first Star Wars film. So what does trIXie refer to, if anything? It appears to simply be a way to get the roman numeral for the number 9 in the title, but there could be more to it, and we will circle back when we have more information.
Following in the footsteps of the Star Wars trilogies that came before it, the current three-part story arc had its main characters separating in Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, the middle chapter of the saga (much like the characters did in Episode II — Attack of the Clones and Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back). As with those previous trilogies, though, they’re expected to reunite in the third chapter — at least, that’s what franchise actor John Boyega seems to think.
Asked about Episode IX during a convention in Washington, D. C., Boyega said he expects the film to bring together his character, Finn, with Daisy Ridley’s character, Rey. The pair have been separated since the events of Episode VII – The Force Awakens, but that period apart could be nearing its end.
“I haven’t read the script for Episode IX,” he said (via SlashFilm). “But Daisy did shoot me a text saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I just heard from J. [Abrams], and we’re back together.’ That’s what I’m really excited about, is Finn and Rey back together again.”
While discussing the differences in working with Star Wars directors J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, Hamill revealed how the creator of the sci-fi saga, Lucas, planned to handle the later years of his iconic character, Luke Skywalker.
“I happen to know that George didn’t kill Luke until the end of [ Episode] IX, after he trained Leia,” Hamill told IGN . “Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi].”
Although most of Lucas’ plans for a sequel trilogy were reportedly scrapped when Disney took over the franchise, The Last Jedi did get to a point with some of its main characters that has a lot in common with those early outlines. Luke’s death occurred one episode earlier, and Leia (Carrie Fisher) did show some aptitude with The Force in Johnson’s 2017 film.
“George had an overall arc — if he didn’t have all the details, he had sort of an overall feel for where the [sequel trilogy was] going — but this [sequel trilogy] is more like a relay race,” Hamill said of the current saga, which appears to be letting its creative teams take the over-arching events in some unexpected directions, too. “You run and hand the torch off to the next guy, he picks it up and goes.”
As for whether he’ll return as Luke in Episode IX, Hamill indicated that “no one’s really talked to me about it” at this point.
Whatever your thoughts about Episode VIII, most can agree that it was a visually spectacular film. Scenes like the throne room saber battle and Vice Admiral Holdo’s lightspeed strike were breathtaking, thanks to some excellent art direction and production design. Now, the team for Episode IX has a new, distinguished member: Paul Inglis, who served as art director for the excellent (and gorgeous) Blade Runner 2049.
Thanks to a report from Omega Underground, we know Inglis has been tapped as the supervising art director for Episode IX, where he will work alongside Abrams and the production team to define the film’s aesthetic. Inglis’ previous credits also include Skyfall, Game of Thrones, Prometheus, and Children of Men.
Some Star Wars fans saw Rey (Ridley) and Poe (Isaac) meet in The Last Jedi and started hoping it was their meet-cute. The single scene was enough to fuel shipping rumors — so much so that Ridley had to answer a question about it during a promotional event in China. Redditor Niamor89 posted a video ( via Sleemo) showing the actress discussing the two Resistance fighters’ possible romantic future. Put simply, she doesn’t really want them to have one.
“It’s wonderful to have relationships that are not romantic,” Ridley said. “I don’t think in films you always need a romantic relationship. I think friend relationships can be romantic in their gestures and their intimacy and all of that. So I think, hopefully — you know, if Rey and Poe get to have some scenes together and stuff — that there will be intimacy, but I think, for me, it doesn’t have to be romantic love.”
If that breaks your heart, know that Ridley hasn’t spoken to Abrams about it yet, so it is still possible that he has other plans.
The next installment of the Star Wars franchise might be headed to the highlands — the county of Argyll in the Scottish Highlands, to be precise.
A report in Scotland’s Daily Record indicates that a new Star Wars movie will begin filming in the western Scottish county of Argyll in June, with shooting expected to place in the historic mountain pass known as the Rest and Be Thankful. Although the initial report suggests that it’s Johnson’s spinoff trilogy that will be filming in Argyll, there’s almost no chance whatsoever that cameras will begin rolling on the first film in that series during 2018 — so if a Star Wars movie does indeed begin shooting in Argyll, it’s likely to be Abrams’ Episode IX.
Although The Last Jedi seemed to offer some resolution regarding the mystery of Rey’s lineage, Johnson indicated in an interview with Huffington Post that fans might not have heard the end of that particular identity crisis.
“Anything’s still open, and I’m not writing the next film. [Abrams and Terrio] are doing it,” said Johnson while discussing the revelation about Rey’s parents that has become one of the most polarizing aspects of the film.
Don’t let the description of Episode IX as a “concluding chapter” mislead you: The stars of the sequel trilogy aren’t going away.
In a November 2017 interview featured on The Star Wars Show, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy indicated that many of the main characters introduced in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens will continue their stories in Episode IX and beyond the sequel trilogy.
