The Star Wars franchise as we knew it came to an end this past December, as J.J. Abrams' The Rise of Skywalker completed the nine-film Skywalker Saga. Episode IX was filled to the brim with action, as Abrams and company attempted to service the myriad characters and wrap up a story that began back with A New Hope. Plenty of ideas and scenes were left on the cutting room floor during the blockbuster's road to theaters and some of those scrapped sequences will be expanded in an unexpected way: the comics.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm the Star Wars universe was drastically changed, as the novelizations were no longer considered part of the official canon. While the Legends stories are technically gone, the franchise has continued to be expanded through official comics which flesh out the various stories shown onscreen. Jody Houser will write the Rise of Skywalker comics series, and recently spoke to tell more of the blockbuster's story on the page. As she put it,
I think one of the great things about adaptations in other mediums is you do get the chance to build out elements of the story there may not have been time or a place for on the screen. Giving light to new scenes gives the creators in these other mediums a chance to add to the story, rather than just translating it for the page.
Color me intrigued. It's unclear exactly how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's comics will help expand the movie's story, and which deleted scenes will be making their way to the page. But clearly Jody Houser has a vision, and is excited about the next process of storytelling. Now we'll just have to wait and see what tricks he has up her sleeve.
Jody Houser's comments come from the official Star Wars website, and is sure to excited the hardcore fandom who is eager for any new content related to the galaxy far, far away. The Rise of Skywalker might have arrive in theaters back in December, but the generations of Star Wars fans have continued to discuss and dissect every frame of the massive blockbuster. After all, there was a ton of ground to cover throughout the course of its 142-minute runtime.
J.J. Abrams covered a ton of ground throughout Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, hitting the ground running with its crawl and the reveal of Palpatine's survival. Episode IX wasn't just a single installment in the Star Wars franchise, but the result of nine films and decades of filmmaking. So Abrams had to wrap up the story of his trio of new heroes, it also had to give a proper finale to the entire property as we knew it. As such, plenty of ideas probably fell by the wayside during its development and filming process.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive in comic book form starting in May, and you can purchase it for Digital on March 17, and DVD/ Blu-ray on March 31. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
