As we all know, Emperor Palpatine is set to make his return to the Star Wars franchise this December as J.J. Abrams brings the curtain down on the Sequel Trilogy and the entire Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
However, it seems that wouldn’t have been the case had Lucasfilm stuck with original director Colin Trevorrow, with the Jurassic World helmer revealing to Empire that Darth Sidious’ inclusion was a creative decision made by Abrams.
“Bringing back the Emperor was an idea J.J. brought to the table when he came on board,” said Trevorrow. “It’s honestly something I never considered. I commend him for it. This was a tough story to unlock, and he found the key.”
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It was revealed recently that Trevorrow and his co-writer Derek Connolly will receive story credits on The Rise of Skywalker, and it seems some of their ideas may have been retained, with the filmmaker adding: “I’m grateful to J.J. for embracing some of our ideas. It’s exciting that fans will get to see the moments that felt essential to all of us.”
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Trevorrow didn’t go into any further detail about which of his plans made it into The Rise of Skywalker, stating that he didn’t feel it was his place to do so. However, it’ll certainly be interesting to see if we do find out what he had planned for Episode IX, and how this ultimately differs from Abrams’ vision.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set for release on December 19th 2019 in the UK and December 20th 2019 in North America. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).