10 Things That Almost Happened in The Rise of Skywalker (Allegedly)
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Michael Wynands
For this list, we're looking at some of the most compelling, buzzworthy and intriguing rumors about what went on behind-the-scenes during production of “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”. Our countdown includes Finn's Force sensitivity, the Reylo kiss, a longer J. J. Abram's cut, more Force Ghosts, and more. Which of these rumors do YOU find plausible? Would they have improved the movie? Let us know in the comments!
Script written by Michael Wynands
The rumors are strong with this one! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the 10 Things That Almost Happened in “The Rise of Skywalker” (Allegedly).
For this list, we’re putting on our tinfoil hats and taking a look at some of the most compelling, buzzworthy, interesting and juiciest bits of gossip about the creative decisions behind “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” This list mainly stems from allegations brought forth by an admin from one of the biggest “Star Wars” Reddits, so take it all with a grain of salt as none of it can be or has been confirmed. A MAJOR spoiler alert is in now effect, and another warning: we will be using the words “allegedly,” “apparently” and “supposedly” A LOT.
The first 30 minutes of “The Rise of Skywalker” play like the recap of a film you’ve never seen before. Sure, the trademark “Star Wars” opening crawl is inherently designed to be a bit of an exposition dump, but never before has one seemed so overstuffed or detached from the preceding film. As is the case with many third instalments in trilogies, critics say “Episode IX” feels rushed, and leaves little room for context or quiet moments. It’s perhaps not so far-fetched then, that J. J. Abrams reportedly wanted to turn this trilogy into a quadrilogy in order to do the plot and characters justice. For example: don’t you think the Palpatine storyline, as well as Rey’s parentage, could’ve benefited from more time to gestate and come about organically?
Getting to make a “Star Wars” movie is, for countless aspiring filmmakers, the ultimate fantasy. But as many directors will tell you, trying to create the movie you envision within the Hollywood studio system can be a thankless and frustrating process. J. J. Abrams is one of the biggest and most sought after directors working today. If the rumors are to be believed, he apparently felt that he’d lost creative control of the film to the point that he wanted his name removed from the final version entirely. We’ll be getting into plenty more specifics as to why Abrams might have wanted his name off the project throughout this video, but for now, let’s just sit with the fact that things apparently got so bad and the House of Mouse apparently threw its weight around so much that we even need to talk about this.
The sequel trilogy has featured a whole lot of romantic tension and not a whole lot of actual romance. “The Force Awakens” set things up to look like Finn was interested in Rey. But after the events of the “Episodes VII” and “VIII,” it’s clear that Finn and Poe have formed a similarly strong bond. There were some cinemagoers that felt there was overt sexual and romantic tension between the ex-stormtrooper and the Resistance pilot. Well, according to the Redditor’s source, that tension was real and intentional - FinnPoe was meant to be canon, and both Abrams and the actors were onboard. As the story goes, however, this plot ultimately got nixed by the higher ups and replaced with that easily edited-out same sex kiss at the end.
“Star Wars,” as a franchise, has always been a merchandising juggernaut; from the release of the very first film, anything having to do with George Lucas’ galaxy far far away has flown off the shelves. Need we remind anyone about the toy vouchers from the first Christmas after the release of “A New Hope”? Though the line “they fly now” landed nicely in terms of adding a bit of comedy to this thrilling chase scene, the concept of Stormtroopers whizzing through the air has appeared in “Star Wars” before, so why is it a big deal all of a sudden? Answer: it’s there to sell toys. And apparently, that wasn’t on J. J.’s list of priorities: according to this alleged leak, Abrams had no idea it would be in the film and it elicited an audible groan from him at the premiere.
When J. J. Abrams was asked to return to the “Star Wars” universe for the third instalment of the sequel trilogy, it was allegedly under the pretense that he get greater creative control than he’d been given for “The Force Awakens.” The studio supposedly wanted to play it safe with their first “Star Wars” film, and it really shows. After the fan backlash over the creative decisions made by Rian Johnson in “The Last Jedi,” however, it’s alleged that Disney ultimately felt it best to create the next film by committee. Essentially, Abrams apparently came onboard with the promise that he could do it his way, only to find himself working with increasingly strict studio mandates as production progressed.
Why would anyone want to rob fans of this epic moment? It’s not like “The Rise of Skywalker” was otherwise self-conscious about serving up fan service. In the third act, when Rey is facing Palpatine, she hears the voices of the Jedi who have come before her. Well, according to the leak, this moment apparently originally involved numerous force ghosts appearing behind her to protect her from the Sith acolytes in the stands. According to the source, not only was this moment in the script; Abrams actually shot it and it included Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in costume. However, so far no actor has spoken out about this scene, so… who knows?
Like we said, many critics pointed out “The Rise of Skywalker”’s rushed pace. Obviously, Abrams was working with limited footage of Carrie Fisher due to her untimely passing in 2016, but even so… die-hards felt shortchanged by what they got. There was originally supposed to be a more substantial explanation as to what exactly Leia was doing when she died. Allegedly, General Organa was actually force projecting Han using both her memories as well as Ben’s, and - just like Luke in “Episode VIII” - using the force like this proved too much for her. This likely would have made her grand gesture more meaningful and easier to follow, not to mention it would have given a better explanation as to why Han appeared despite not being a Jedi.
WatchMojo ranked a whole list of Unanswered Questions in “The Rise of Skywalker,” so it’s safe to say that “Star Wars” fanatics point to more than a few plot holes and questionable creative choices in their critiques of the movie. However, one of the most glaring and frustrating abandoned plot points was Finn’s secret. When our intrepid heroes seem doomed to a fate similar to the one that Poe narrowly avoided in “The Force Awakens,” Finn frantically tries to tell Rey something. Then they survive and… he never follows up. Like many suspected based on various hints and allusions, Abrams apparently intended to have Finn reveal that he is force-sensitive. According to the leak, in an earlier cut of the film, he actually force moved something on the Star Destroyer - much to his surprise. But that moment ended up being replaced with BB-8 fixing… whatever he was fixing.
Even long before the film came out, Daisy Ridley was vocal about being anti-Reylo. Now that we’ve actually seen Kylo and Rey locking lips on screen, it seems a lotta people out there agree. In fact, another person who shared Ridley’s resistance to making Ben Solo and Rey’s connection a romantic one? Director J. J. Abrams. According to the mysterious Reddit source, Ben was always meant to die, and he and Rey were meant to share a heartfelt moment. But Abrams never intended to seal it with a kiss, allowing their connection to remain more ambiguous. The scene was also supposed to be about four minutes longer and contain much more dialogue. As to what the two platonically-connected force users would have said… we’ll likely never know. Unless there really IS a J. J. cut, of course.
This was the reason the Hashtag #ReleaseTheJJCut was trending on Twitter. According to the leak, the final film originally had a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes, and at the behest of Disney, Abrams cut it down to 2 hours and 37 minutes. So how come the version we saw in theaters was 2 hours and 22 minutes? Well, allegedly, it was cut even further by Disney behind Abrams’ back. Of course, this would by no means have been the first time a studio insisted on having the final say - that’s why Director’s Cuts exist. But final theatrical cuts are usually the product of a lot of back and forth between the studio and the filmmaker. What’s even worse, Abrams allegedly wasn’t even made aware that the last cut he’d submitted had been altered until he saw it at the premiere.
10 Things That Almost Happened in The Rise of Skywalker (Allegedly)
The rumors are strong with this one! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the 10 Things That Almost Happened in “The Rise of Skywalker” (Allegedly).
For this list, we’re putting on our tinfoil hats and taking a look at some of the most compelling, buzzworthy, interesting and juiciest bits of gossip about the creative decisions behind “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” This list mainly stems from allegations brought forth by an admin from one of the biggest “Star Wars” Reddits, so take it all with a grain of salt as none of it can be or has been confirmed. A MAJOR spoiler alert is in now effect, and another warning: we will be using the words “allegedly,” “apparently” and “supposedly” A LOT.
#10: Two Movies
The first 30 minutes of “The Rise of Skywalker” play like the recap of a film you’ve never seen before. Sure, the trademark “Star Wars” opening crawl is inherently designed to be a bit of an exposition dump, but never before has one seemed so overstuffed or detached from the preceding film. As is the case with many third instalments in trilogies, critics say “Episode IX” feels rushed, and leaves little room for context or quiet moments. It’s perhaps not so far-fetched then, that J. J. Abrams reportedly wanted to turn this trilogy into a quadrilogy in order to do the plot and characters justice. For example: don’t you think the Palpatine storyline, as well as Rey’s parentage, could’ve benefited from more time to gestate and come about organically?
#9: No Credit for J. J.
Getting to make a “Star Wars” movie is, for countless aspiring filmmakers, the ultimate fantasy. But as many directors will tell you, trying to create the movie you envision within the Hollywood studio system can be a thankless and frustrating process. J. J. Abrams is one of the biggest and most sought after directors working today. If the rumors are to be believed, he apparently felt that he’d lost creative control of the film to the point that he wanted his name removed from the final version entirely. We’ll be getting into plenty more specifics as to why Abrams might have wanted his name off the project throughout this video, but for now, let’s just sit with the fact that things apparently got so bad and the House of Mouse apparently threw its weight around so much that we even need to talk about this.
#8: A Finn & Poe Kiss
The sequel trilogy has featured a whole lot of romantic tension and not a whole lot of actual romance. “The Force Awakens” set things up to look like Finn was interested in Rey. But after the events of the “Episodes VII” and “VIII,” it’s clear that Finn and Poe have formed a similarly strong bond. There were some cinemagoers that felt there was overt sexual and romantic tension between the ex-stormtrooper and the Resistance pilot. Well, according to the Redditor’s source, that tension was real and intentional - FinnPoe was meant to be canon, and both Abrams and the actors were onboard. As the story goes, however, this plot ultimately got nixed by the higher ups and replaced with that easily edited-out same sex kiss at the end.
#7: More “Grounded” Stormtroopers
“Star Wars,” as a franchise, has always been a merchandising juggernaut; from the release of the very first film, anything having to do with George Lucas’ galaxy far far away has flown off the shelves. Need we remind anyone about the toy vouchers from the first Christmas after the release of “A New Hope”? Though the line “they fly now” landed nicely in terms of adding a bit of comedy to this thrilling chase scene, the concept of Stormtroopers whizzing through the air has appeared in “Star Wars” before, so why is it a big deal all of a sudden? Answer: it’s there to sell toys. And apparently, that wasn’t on J. J.’s list of priorities: according to this alleged leak, Abrams had no idea it would be in the film and it elicited an audible groan from him at the premiere.
#6: More “J. J.-isms”
When J. J. Abrams was asked to return to the “Star Wars” universe for the third instalment of the sequel trilogy, it was allegedly under the pretense that he get greater creative control than he’d been given for “The Force Awakens.” The studio supposedly wanted to play it safe with their first “Star Wars” film, and it really shows. After the fan backlash over the creative decisions made by Rian Johnson in “The Last Jedi,” however, it’s alleged that Disney ultimately felt it best to create the next film by committee. Essentially, Abrams apparently came onboard with the promise that he could do it his way, only to find himself working with increasingly strict studio mandates as production progressed.
#5: Force Ghosts of Anakin, Mace Windu & Obi-Wan
Why would anyone want to rob fans of this epic moment? It’s not like “The Rise of Skywalker” was otherwise self-conscious about serving up fan service. In the third act, when Rey is facing Palpatine, she hears the voices of the Jedi who have come before her. Well, according to the leak, this moment apparently originally involved numerous force ghosts appearing behind her to protect her from the Sith acolytes in the stands. According to the source, not only was this moment in the script; Abrams actually shot it and it included Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in costume. However, so far no actor has spoken out about this scene, so… who knows?
#4: A Clearer & More Meaningful Death for Leia
Like we said, many critics pointed out “The Rise of Skywalker”’s rushed pace. Obviously, Abrams was working with limited footage of Carrie Fisher due to her untimely passing in 2016, but even so… die-hards felt shortchanged by what they got. There was originally supposed to be a more substantial explanation as to what exactly Leia was doing when she died. Allegedly, General Organa was actually force projecting Han using both her memories as well as Ben’s, and - just like Luke in “Episode VIII” - using the force like this proved too much for her. This likely would have made her grand gesture more meaningful and easier to follow, not to mention it would have given a better explanation as to why Han appeared despite not being a Jedi.
#3: Confirmation of Finn’s Force Sensitivity
WatchMojo ranked a whole list of Unanswered Questions in “The Rise of Skywalker,” so it’s safe to say that “Star Wars” fanatics point to more than a few plot holes and questionable creative choices in their critiques of the movie. However, one of the most glaring and frustrating abandoned plot points was Finn’s secret. When our intrepid heroes seem doomed to a fate similar to the one that Poe narrowly avoided in “The Force Awakens,” Finn frantically tries to tell Rey something. Then they survive and… he never follows up. Like many suspected based on various hints and allusions, Abrams apparently intended to have Finn reveal that he is force-sensitive. According to the leak, in an earlier cut of the film, he actually force moved something on the Star Destroyer - much to his surprise. But that moment ended up being replaced with BB-8 fixing… whatever he was fixing.
#2: No Reylo Kiss
Even long before the film came out, Daisy Ridley was vocal about being anti-Reylo. Now that we’ve actually seen Kylo and Rey locking lips on screen, it seems a lotta people out there agree. In fact, another person who shared Ridley’s resistance to making Ben Solo and Rey’s connection a romantic one? Director J. J. Abrams. According to the mysterious Reddit source, Ben was always meant to die, and he and Rey were meant to share a heartfelt moment. But Abrams never intended to seal it with a kiss, allowing their connection to remain more ambiguous. The scene was also supposed to be about four minutes longer and contain much more dialogue. As to what the two platonically-connected force users would have said… we’ll likely never know. Unless there really IS a J. J. cut, of course.
#1: Like, Pretty Much Everything
This was the reason the Hashtag #ReleaseTheJJCut was trending on Twitter. According to the leak, the final film originally had a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes, and at the behest of Disney, Abrams cut it down to 2 hours and 37 minutes. So how come the version we saw in theaters was 2 hours and 22 minutes? Well, allegedly, it was cut even further by Disney behind Abrams’ back. Of course, this would by no means have been the first time a studio insisted on having the final say - that’s why Director’s Cuts exist. But final theatrical cuts are usually the product of a lot of back and forth between the studio and the filmmaker. What’s even worse, Abrams allegedly wasn’t even made aware that the last cut he’d submitted had been altered until he saw it at the premiere.
