Could Rey turn to the Dark Side in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Newly released footage from the final film in the Skywalker saga reveals Daisy Ridley wearing black robes and wielding a red double-bladed lightsaber—a possible hint that she’s chosen the Dark Side of the Force, following a long lineage of Sith including Darth Maul, who wielded the same weapon in The Phantom Menace. Still, the footage, which premiered at the Disney expo D23 over the weekend, only offers brief glimpses at the film—so it’s possible that the shot of Dark Rey was culled from a vision or a nightmare, rather than reality. Either way, all eyes will once again be on Ridley’s character when the film premieres December 20.
The sizzle reel opens with brief clips from the original Star Wars trilogy and its prequels before revealing shots from the new film—including peeks at some of Carrie Fisher’s final footage, a red-eyed C-3PO, and Rey fighting with Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren on what appears to be the wreckage of an old ship in the middle of a rough sea. We can also see John Boyega’s Finn and newcomer Jannah (Naomi Ackie) in a cockpit, as a sea of rebel ships come out of hyperspace and, seemingly, face a phalanx of Star Destroyers.
Ian McDiarmid, who played Emperor Palpatine in the prequel trilogy, will appear in Rise of Skywalker as well, presumably reprising his role; Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian, will also return to play his original character. In addition to Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant and Keri Russell also join the production as newcomers to the cast.
Although Rise of Skywalker will (presumably) end the saga of the original films’ central Jedi Knight and his family, the Star Wars universe, as fans know, is ever-expanding. D23 also debuted footage from the upcoming Disney+ series The Mandalorian and confirmed an upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor—a secret project the actor has apparently been sitting on for four years. Still, even with all these projects on the way, it feels safe to bet that some of the franchise’s lifelong fans will feel a uniquely strong pang of nostalgia come December.
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