Before Palpatine returned in the final version of The Rise of Skywalker, a very different plot was envisioned which star John Boyega seems to prefer.
After potentially the most divisive blockbuster film of the 2010s in The Last Jedi, Disney was unsure what direction to go for Episode IX. The fan backlash in particular was towards the treatment of Luke Skywalker, the importance of Rey’s family, and the clean slate it went for with the mythology.
In the end, Colin Trevorrow, who was initially hired to write and direct Episode 9 dropped out, and The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams came aboard. With that came major changes and Trevorrow’s Duel of the Fates was consigned to the Disney archives. Boyega however has issued praise for Trevorrow’s vision for the film, expressing his excitement at what it contained, in particular the stormtrooper rebellion.
Talking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he said his sit down with Trevorrow was “one of the best meetings” he’d ever had about Star Wars:
“I had a sit down with Colin, and I gotta tell you that was one of the best Star Wars meetings I’ve ever had because it felt like two nerds who were like, ‘Yesssss! That’s what we want to see!'”
He added that the concept art was particularly exciting, and hoped that Lucasfilm would give Trevorrow a chance to work within the galaxy again. But, he never read the leaked script and doesn’t plan to, saying it’d be heart-breaking:
“I saw the concept art, Stormtrooper rebellion, I’m like… that stuff was cool, and hopefully Lucasfilm will give him an opportunity down the line to work on something else cause I’m sure they would love to collaborate with him again in any capacity”
Just a week prior, Boyega said he had no desire to return to the Star Wars franchise as he considered Finn’s arc complete. However, he did add that there’s still scope in animation, video games, and comics for Finn to get further fleshed out.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Published: Sep 1, 2022 01:03 am