The countdown to December 15th has officially begun.
Two years have passed since The Force Awakens, when J.J. Abrams and Co. resurrected a dormant giant, and we now stand on the verge of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
It’s the crucial second chapter in Lucasfilm’s current trilogy, which goes some way to explaining why Rian Johnson’s sequel is already being compared to The Empire Strikes Back. Only this time around, it’s the First Order and Supreme Leader Snoke who will be staging a resurgence, and with our principal heroes (see: Rey, Finn and Poe) either injured or scattered across the galaxy, the Resistance will be up against it.
Though we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to lay eyes on that sure to be monumental clash, we do have a very brief snippet of brand new footage for you today. Those who’ve seen Pixar’s Coco will likely have caught a special featurette for The Last Jedi that’s attached to it. And though it’s mostly just behind the scenes stuff, there is a short clip of Luke, Rey and Chewie on Ahch-To.
It’s not much, and the quality isn’t great given that all we have for you is a leaked copy, but we can clearly see Rey asking the Jedi Master for help, only to have him reject her before the clip cuts out abruptly. You can give it a watch here.
With The Last Jedi now so close to being with us, Rian Johnson’s sequel recently came into view for box office analysts, where insiders predicted a huge $200 million opening weekend in North America. Such a debut would ensure Lucasfilm’s Star Wars pic holds the record for 2017’s highest bow on home turf, easily surpassing Beauty and the Beast ($174 million).
Whether that’ll indeed be the case remains to be seen, of course, but what we can tell you with absolute certainty is that The Last Jedi has been penciled in for release on December 15th and this is merely the start of Johnson’s journey in that galaxy far, far away, as we know he’ll spearhead an entirely new trilogy sometime after the launch of Episode IX in 2019, and it’ll be teeming with new locations and original characters.
