With this weekend bringing the debut of the highly anticipated DC blockbuster Justice League, there is one major release left before the New Year. Because Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in theaters in one month's time, continuing the main narrative of the beloved franchise. The details around The Last Jedi's plot has been kept under wraps, as Disney methodically introduced just one or two vague trailers in recent months. But now we know of at least one character who will be surviving the sequel and showing back up again in Episode IX. And that's none other than everyone's favorite Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron.
This news comes from actor Oscar Isaac himself, who has been busy doing rounds of press ahead of The Last Jedi's release. When speaking with Esquire about the upcoming sequel, he spoke to the size of Poe Dameron's role in the film. While he's got a bit more screentime than The Force Awakens, his role is apparently about the same in Last Jedi. But he assured the interviewer that he would be back for Episode IX, revealing that Poe won't get killed off in next month's blockbuster.
This will no doubt be a relief to all the Poe Dameron fans, as well as the Poe/Finn shippers out there. Poe Dameron barely made it out of The Force Awakens alive, as he and Finn's escape from Starkiller base looked like it was the end of the newcomer. It actually turns out that Poe was originally supposed to die, although his role was expanded into Leia's protege.
It's actually a bit of letdown that Poe Dameron's role is about the same size as it was in The Force Awakens. About half of the runtime of the last film was wholly without the hot shot pilot, as his death was heavily implied back on Jakku. He eventually showed up to save the day alongside his fleet at Maz Kanata's castle, but Poe wasn't nearly as present as his fellow newcomers Rey and Finn.
But with Poe off the hook for potentially dying, one has to wonder if any other characters will bite the bullet in The Last Jedi. Considering how Han Solo was shockingly killed off in The Force Awakens, it certainly seems like just about every character (besides Poe) is in jeopardy. In particular, it feels like Luke Skywalker might be in danger, as The Last Jedi will largely focus on his lack of faith in The Force, as well as his past with Kylo Ren. There is also the possibility that the film might kill off Carrie Fisher's General Leia, as Fisher's death made it impossible for the character to make her final appearance in Episode IX.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in theaters on December 15th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
