Oscar Isaac Says Star Wars: Episode IX Is Very Different From Previous Films

J.J. Abrams, the A-list cast, Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Saga – on paper, Star Wars: Episode IX is nothing if not familiar.

It is, after all, the final chapter in this Sequel Trilogy – which, incidentally, began with Abrams and The Force Awakens in 2015 – so the onus is on Disney and Lucasfilm to deliver a satisfying conclusion to what is arguably one of the most beloved film sagas of the modern era. No pressure, then.

Still, according to Poe Dameron himself, Oscar Isaac, Episode IX stands a good chance of succeeding simply because it’s so different and “so distinct” from previous Star Wars movies. That’s particularly reassuring when you consider that The Force Awakens was largely criticized for rehashing core story elements from A New Hope, and here, Isaac tells MTV’s Happy Sad Confused exactly why Star Wars: Episode IX will live up to the hype.

The experience of reading it definitely did and the experience of doing it. It’s amazing how adaptable we are because the most crazy scenarios and situations can feel routine after a while. Even like, ‘Oh, I’m in an X-Wing again,’ I got to squeeze my ass into the Millennium Falcon chair. They clearly don’t make it for ethnic hips. Harrison Ford did not have a butt because this is not working for me. Everything starts to feel like old hat and the fact, towards the end of shooting, when we were saying goodbye, it was very emotional for me.

Slipping back into the shoes of an X-Wing pilot comes with its own set of challenges, then. On a more general note, Isaac went on to discuss the scale and scope of Episode IX, and what it was like to welcome J.J. Abrams back into the fold having previously worked with him on the wildly successful Force Awakens.

Via MTV:

It was such a huge chapter of my life for me, six years or whatever it was, it was a lot and the intensity of it and they’re, like, the biggest films ever so being in the midst of all that was a lot. And to have [director] JJ [Abrams] come back and the energy of the set and the energy of the whole thing was so distinct from the other ones in a great way.

Star Wars: Episode IX reaches theaters on December 20th of this year, and with Star Wars Celebration scheduled for next month, it won’t be too much longer before Disney showcases its wares. A trailer reveal is practically guaranteed, so perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of those Red Stormtroopers rumored to appear in the 2019 sequel…