After a long wait punctuated by one lackluster prequel, we’re in the home stretch now before the final installation in the new Star Wars trilogy finally hits our screens. It’s been a long 16 months since we saw Luke Skywalker return and Rey team up – albeit briefly – with Kylo Ren, but at the annual Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, a teaser trailer finally surfaced for the much-awaited Star Wars: Episode IX – the title of which has been revealed as ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.
With JJ Abrams back in the director’s chair, the film reunites core new cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac and Kelly Marie Tran – but fans are also excited that Billy Dee Williams is reprising his role as Lando Calrissian. The film will also feature a posthumous appearance from Carrie Fisher, who passed away in December 2016. JJ Abrams wrote scenes around footage filmed for The Force Awakens in order to give Princess Leia the send-off she deserves, so it’s sure to be an emotional ride.
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The first teaser gives us a glimpse at Rey training, Kylo Ren doing battle with a stormtrooper, Finn with a swish new haircut, and Poe Dameron with a rather fetching scarf. There’s our first glimpse of Lando, and a cryptic voiceover from Luke Skywalker himself, reminding us “No one’s ever really gone” …But what’s that sinister laughter all about? Surely not Palpatine…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas in December, so expect plenty of theories, freakouts, and more teasing to come. It’s going to be a long eight months.
