Right now, we’re just over eight months away from the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and in all that time, the film’s cast and crew will have to stay tight-lipped on the long-awaited conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.
Daisy Ridley, for instance, first heard about the ending from director J.J. Abrams. And in a recent interview with Fox 32 reporter Jake Hamilton, the actress recalled how the finale underwent some changes as new ideas emerged:
“J.J. had told me and then I’d read the script, and then it was sort of shifting. The ending was always pretty similar, and then I was told there was a new, I guess, a slightly different beat added that I was told, which was awesome, because it’s nice to be told a thing, and then you can experience it with the filmmaker. But also, we don’t know how it’s going to turn out. We did the thing on this side of the camera, but so don’t know how it’s going to turn out. So I’m as excited to see it as everyone else.”
Principal photography on The Rise of Skywalker wrapped two months ago to this day, and Abrams still has most of the year to make further changes in post. In the meantime, last Friday’s Star Wars Celebration panel gave us a fair amount of material to chew over, most notably in the film’s first teaser.
In the newly released footage, Ridley has the spotlight to herself for a solid minute, as Rey dodges an attack from a TIE fighter. Interestingly, after the Skywalker lightsaber broke in The Last Jedi, it looks like she’s found a way to repair the weapon, perhaps acquiring another kyber crystal.
The heroine also shows up a little later in the preview hugging Leia, who returns by way of unused footage from the last two movies. The moment seems in line with a report from earlier this year, which claimed that Rey is going back to her clothing from The Force Awakens in order to maintain the continuity of her scenes opposite Carrie Fisher.
In any case, we still have much to learn about Rey’s next outing, but all will be revealed when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.
