Today, the details for the home release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were finally announced and fans can now start the countdown for little under a month until the conclusion to the Skywalker saga arrives on digital HD from March 17th and then hits shelves on Blu-Ray and DVD two weeks later on March 31st. As well as owning the film itself though, the benefit to purchasing the home release is obviously getting to grips with all the bonus material. And the TROS home release does come with a pretty hefty amount of special features.
You can find the full list here, but some highlights include a feature-length making-of documentary and various mini-featurettes about the filming of different aspects of the movie. However, there are a couple of typical additions that are conspicuous for their absence. For instance, there’s been no mention of either a director’s commentary featuring on the release nor any deleted scenes.
This is a big blow for those wanting to find out more about the development process of Rise. Perhaps more than any Star Wars film, Episode IX had an incredibly arduous journey to the screen. As we all know, Colin Trevorrow worked on his version for years before splitting with Lucasfilm, leaving J.J. Abrams to come back at a late stage to wrap up the Sequel Trilogy he began. The result was a hugely controversial movie in which the filmmaker made some unexpected choices.
Deleted scenes, then, would be a major draw for the home release as fans could see alternate or cut footage that didn’t make it in which might aid the story. What’s more, a commentary track would allow Abrams to explain his thought processes, something that might ease fan backlash. However, it seems that the studio has decided to keep a lid on the development of TROS for now. The best case scenario is that these extra features are being held back for, say, a director’s cut, but as of now, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s home release may come as a bit of a disappointment to viewers.