With roughly four months to go before the Skywalker Sage concludes courtesy of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney and Lucasfilm brought the goods to D23 in Anaheim on Saturday to begin what’s sure to be an epic promotional campaign. Flanked by Abrams and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, the full cast of The Rise of Skywalker appeared on stage at D23 to discuss the sequel and share exclusive footage. Our own Eric Eisenberg is on the ground in Anaheim, and he reports it ended like this:
As part of the presentation, we learned some specific details. J.J. Abrams praised the newcomers to the franchise, notably Naomi Ackie and Keri Russell. Specifically, about the latter, it was revealed that Russell would be playing a criminal, and one who has a link to Oscar Isaac’s fan-favorite character, Poe Dameron.
A large part of the focus also fell on the legacy characters who will be part of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels received loud and warm ovations, with Williams telling the gathered crowd that Lando has always been a huge part of him. Then J.J. Abrams talked about Carrie Fisher, and the decision to make Leia a large part of the story in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He mentioned how delighted he was to find that they had footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He went so far as to call her “the heart” of the new film.
Of course, Star Wars knows how to fan the flames of excitement with merch, and a new poster that was revealed at D23 got people excited, particularly for the way that it showcased The Emperor.
We are waiting for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to drop a new trailer on us. If every they were going to do it, today would be the day. All eyes are on Anaheim as D23 drops news. And the movie is inching closer, with December 20 being circled as the conclusion for the Skywalker Saga.
As we continue to track all of the news coming out of D23, keep it right here on CinemaBlend for the latest updates and discoveries.
