Everything We Know About Star Wars: Episode IX So Far

Some rumors hint at the appearance of a certain classic character.

Star Wars Episode IX, the conclusion to Disney’s newest chapter of the Star Wars saga, will conclude in May of 2019. The film, which was originally slated to be directed by  Colin Trevorrow, will now be directed by J.J. Abrams. Colin was reportedly kicked from the Disney team over “Creative Differences” regarding the direction of the project. And while a swap of directors can be a seriously bad sign in a film’s production, this switch occurred early in the film’s pre-production, unlike Solo’s director swap which occurred 6 months into production.

According to an article on Cnet, Lucasfilm has stated that Carrie Fisher’s Leia will appear in the film by way of some unused footage from 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film will not, however, feature a different actress playing the character or use a digital re-creation of the deceased actress.

“Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII”

-J.J. Abrams

And according to an early release of the cast, Richard Grant and Naomi Ackie will also be joining the roster, though their roles have yet to be given character names.

It’s important to note that this cast release did not include any mention of Harrison Ford, though this list is certainly far from complete, so don’t rule out a cameo from Force Ghost Solo just yet.

And, believe it or not, this smattering of facts and rumors are the most definitive things we have to base our knowledge of the film on thus far. From here on out, it’s straight rumors. Some of these rumors are based on actor quotes or confirmed details, but there’s still a large amount of speculation going on here.

>In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, actor John Boyega said he’s been growing his hair out for the new movie, and fans will have to wait until the release of the trailer to find out why. Popular fan theories include a bit of a time jump between Episodes 8 and 9, or perhaps that Finn will be taking on a path of Jedi training in the final film.

>According to ComicBook.com, Billy Dee Williams may returned to play a seasoned, battle-harded Lando for the latest film. This was likely done after the character was brought back into the spotlight during the recent Solo film, though that film saw limited success and reviews in comparison to the rest of the Star Wars franchise.

>Now we’re just playing telephone. According to more rumors via the sources of The Sun, Ian McGregor, AKA Obi-Wan Kenobi, was seen secretly shooting scenes for the 2019 film. While another appearance from the Kenobi family would have many fans jumping for joy, take this rumor with an extra grain of salt, as there’s no direct quotes or information to link this to reality. However, the recent revival of the much-beloved series Star Wars: The Clone Wars does make this far-fetched rumor seem a bit closer to reality.

That’s all we’ve got for now, but be on the lookout for a teaser trailer that will surely drop some interesting hints, and put many a fan theory to rest. And remember, much of this information has not been confirmed officially, so don’t get your hopes too far up (or down) before you’ve seen for yourself what Abrams has in store.