Seeing how the J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens essentially plays like one long homage to A New Hope, it would be pretty reasonable to predict that the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX will echo a few elements from its own Original Trilogy equivalent Return of the Jedi.
That’s what some fans are suggesting in response to these newly leaked images from the set of next year’s trilogy-closer. Though the pictured environments are still under construction, it’s been speculated that these designs from Pinewood Studios could provide the setting to a sequence not unlike the skirmish on the forest moon of Endor witnessed at the climax of the 1983 film. And while we don’t have a lot to go on for this idea, it certainly seems like the kind of move that the eternally nostalgic Abrams would pull in his next film.
Another idea formulated in response to this latest batch of pics is that the setting will be somehow linked with the scenes that John Boyega looks to currently be filming in Jordan, since it’s apparently another Abrams habit for the director to shoot his scenes mostly in order. Of course, the desert planet suggested from the Wadi Rum snapshots looks to be a very different environment from the the sets at Pinewood, which seem more akin to the jungle setting teased in previous set photos. Instead, these images from Jordan bring to mind a place in the vein of Rey’s home planet Jakku, though this region was actually used for the Jedha scenes in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
In any case, we’ll find out what planets and memories Abrams plans to revisit when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.