With a summer shoot on the cards and J.J. Abrams behind the wheel, Star Wars: Episode IX is fast beginning to take shape deep within the bowels of Lucasfilm.
It’ll supposedly steer the franchise in “unexpected directions” – not unlike The Last Jedi before it, then – and bring a full-scale war to that famed galaxy far, far away, so it’s small wonder why budding Star Wars fans are already counting down the days in anticipation of December 20th, 2019.
And while J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio are ensuring any and all plot details remain under lock and key, one or two scraps of intel have already escaped confinement, with the latest big rumor claiming that Lucasfilm is now on the hunt for a prominent female character to fight alongside Daisy Ridley’s conflicted Jedi, Rey.
Going one step further, late last week a Reddit user by the name of ‘FOOSLS’ posted what he claims to be a “very early storyboard” for Episode IX. And considering just how accurate his scoop on The Last Jedi was, this ought to fan the flames of speculation.
Among the as-yet-unconfirmed story scraps is one asserting that Star Wars: Episode IX takes place a full five years after the events of The Last Jedi, which may go some way to explaining why John Boyega is currently in the process of growing out his hair. And, well, things only get more bizarre from there…
Here’s a small excerpt from the exhaustive Reddit post:
5 years after The Last Jedi, the Resistance is no longer centralized and is not a popular idea among the galaxy. Kylo Ren’s rule over the galaxy is seen by most as benevolent. Many within the Resistance itself are questioning why they should even be fighting. Not surprisingly, Rey, Poe, Finn, and Leia are all still holding fast to the idea the galaxy should not be under [Imperical] rule. They are tipped off by a mole inside the First Order promising that if they follow their lead, they will discover the horrifying true nature of the First Order.
Again, we should stress that this information is likely pulled from an old storyboard, and may have been scrapped early on in pre-production. Still, the fact that Boyega recently alluded to a possible time jump between The Last Jedi and Episode IX does present food for thought.
Either way, all will be revealed once Star Wars: Episode IX takes flight on December 20th, 2019.