As was true of pretty much every character in the film, General Hux was depicted a little differently in Star Wars: The Last Jedi than he was in The Force Awakens. As opposed to the calculating, sinister First Order leader he was in Episode VII, the following film portrayed him as more of a pompous punching bag, mercilessly mocked by Poe Dameron and physically abused by Kylo Ren.
It was a bit of a surprise for fans, and definitely so for actor Domhnall Gleeson. That being said, he still hopes to get the chance to try his hand at some more comedy in Star Wars: Episode IX. The actor hasn’t read the script for the next entry in the saga just yet, but Gleeson revealed to Radio Times that he hopes it picks up Hux’s characterization where The Last Jedi left off.
“I wasn’t expecting [Hux’s comedy] to be the way it went in VIII, at all. It really surprised me. And I’d say rather than played for laughs, it was written for laughs. We did it with an eye on the comic elements of it… I have no idea what direction he’ll [Abrams] take it in, or even if he’ll use me. So I’m hoping that if I’m in the next one, I’ll get to do [some more comedy].”
The bold choices that The Last Jedi made were all down to writer/director Rian Johnson, who’s handing the baton back to The Force Awakens‘ J.J. Abrams for Episode IX. So, despite what Gleeson might want, we can see the tone and style of the film returning to something resembling that of TFA. Especially considering the intense backlash TLJ received from a very vocal subset of fans.
And though Gleeson isn’t 100% confirmed for the pic just yet, we’re pretty sure that Hux will feature in some form. After all, with Snoke gone and Kylo infamously occupying his own complex space, Hux is pretty much the face of the First Order – so there’s surely a role for him here.
The script from Chris Terrio (Argo, Batman v Superman) for Star Wars: Episode IX is now complete, with Abrams promising that production is due to begin on the movie this July. And after that? The film will blast into cinemas on December 20th, 2019.
