It’s the end of an era. The new trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has arrived on what would have been late star Carrie Fisher’s 63rd birthday, and it hammers home the message that filmmaker J.J. Abrams is closing out the 40-plus year saga that began with George Lucas’ Star Wars in 1977.
In the trailer Rey (Daisy Ridley) is seen running through a jungle and preparing to fight Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on any icy planet. “People keep telling me they know me. No one does,” Rey says during the spot.
“But I do,” Kylo Ren responds. In a later scene, the two are spotted fighting together. C-3PO, R2D2, BB-8, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) also make an appearance, as does Fisher. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker can be heard in the trailer’s voiceover saying, “The Force will be with you,” with Leia adding, “Always.”
The trailer, which aired during ESPN’s Monday Night Football, comes hours after tickets went on sale for The Rise of Skywalker. The cast includes Ridley, Boyega, Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Driver, Richard E. Grant and Keri Russell. Original Star Wars actors including Hamill (as Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) return, as will Fisher (Leia) via previously unused footage she and Abrams shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The movie’s running time is 155 minutes, edging out Star Was: The Last Jedi (152 minutes) to mark the longest title in the series.
Abrams unveiled the first trailer for Rise of Skywalker at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago in April, and unveiled a short sizzle reel at D23 in August. It is expected this will be the final major look at the project ahead of its release.
In addition to closing out the Skywalker Saga, The Rise of Skywalker will be the final Star Wars film for some time, with the next feature scheduled for 2022. Star Wars will be kept alive on the small screen via Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service which launches Nov. 12 with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian serving as the flagship series for the service. An Obi-Wan Kenobi series to star Ewan McGregor and a Rogue One prequel starring Diego Luna are also in the works for Disney+.
On the big screen, The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has a trilogy in development, as do Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is also working with Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy on a Star Wars film.
Disney and Lucasfilm open Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Dec. 20.
