General Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker News and Rumors Thread

JJ Abrams was on BBC Radio 4's the Today program.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b098bsy2 (skip to 2 hours 20 minutes)

Summary as far as Episode IX is comcerned: Abrams says that he's approaching IX with the same excitement as he had when he was a kid (an idea the interviewer brought up) but at the same time he has to take Star Wars places it hasn't gone.

 

I'm glad he acknowledges the need for originality.

 

Good - hinting at "I'm not gonna pull such rehash again" since day one.

 

So...he's rebooting ROTJ

 

"I got to meet JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio tonight. I'm now 100% sure that Episode 9 will be incredible.

They said that they're going to be brave and there will be big surprises. I got the impression that JJ felt like he had to refresh previous Star Wars moments for a modern audience in TFA, and now it feels like they have free reign to do what they want. Apparently they've had no interference from Kathleen or Pablo or the Lucasfilm Story Group. 9 is also the film which unites all three trilogies and brings everything together. That's all they would tell me

I worry a little bit that the questions I was asking were too leading. I was speaking to Chris and he was talking about the OT. I said about how I grew up with the PT and the prequels were my entry point into Star Wars. I asked about elements of the PT coming into 9 and Chris said about how 9 unites all of it. He said 9 definitely makes it feel like they're all happening in the same universe, and there would be PT elements in 9. They could be visual or thematic - he didn't overtly say that there would be returning planets or characters from the PT or anything."

 

That's the same sort of stuff Colin Trevorrow was saying.

Colin Trevorrow: “[There’s a draft of the Episode IXscript.] [We’re] throwing 110 percent of our souls into it. There will be nothing left of me when I’m done.” “[I’m thinking about Episode IX] in the context of three films, six films, nine films, and one film. It’s a lot.” (March 30, 2017)

Colin Trevorrow: “By the time we get to Episode IX, I look at that movie as one movie, as three movies, as six movies, and as nine movies. It’s something that needs to honor a story that has been told over a period of 40 years.” “I don’t want to ignore any of it, and I respect all of it. It’s something I think the fan base is going to embrace.” (January 12, 2016)

 

There is only one title I don’t want Star Wars IX to be called and that name is.... Star Wars IX: The Return of Jar Jar.

 

Let us be reasonable here. What sort of gimmick could the First Order possibly pull off in Episode IX that would rival Starkiller Base? Do they HAVE to have a new gimmick?

If they don't, what is the threat to the galaxy in Episode IX? Unless Rey goes to the Dark side, what's at stake? I see no other way than to make another giant superweapon.

 

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/st...an-johnson-not-involved-star-wars-episode-ix/

 

This was expected and has been talked about for a while already, but it's tough to hear the man himself say it out loud. The original plan was to have Rian write and direct VIII and then write a draft for IX. Now he's not even gonna write a single word. Ugh...

It's like Alfonso Cuarón and Prisoner of Azkaban all over again - a great original director who, for some reason, comes to the conclusion that he just wants to make one film in a series. No more, no less.

 

Apparently, if you have $10,000 to donate to charity, you can learn the plot of episode IX.

"Saturday night, Jon Stewart hosted Night of Too Many Stars, a live benefit for programs that support people with autism. There were some great moments—a hilarious Daily Show reunion, a pre-taped statement from Sarah Silverman that was clearly a statement about Puerto Rico with the word “Autism” dubbed in, and Paul Rudd answering very disappointing Ant Man and the Wasp questions—but the most interesting segment by far was an auction in which J.J. Abrams whispered the plot of Star Wars: Episode IX to one lucky, generous fan, who donated $10,000 for the privilege."

The full article:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat...s_star_wars_episode_ix_for_one_lucky_fan.html

 

ROTJJ

 

How do we find this lucky fan....

 

It's not a surprise by any means, but John Williams will score Episode IX.