Pretty much everything relating to the next instalment of the iconic saga is pure speculation at this point, and all apparent leaks are unconfirmed. But in the absence of anything official from Lucasfilm, the speculation is all part of the fun for patient fans – and now a fresh rumour suggests that Luke Skywalker’s involvement in the trilogy finale will be solidified in the first teaser trailer.
The trailer has been said numerous times to have been completed in ‘rough draft’ form, although it doesn’t seem as though there are any plans to release it in the immediate future.
To casual Star Wars viewers, Luke met a poignant death at the end of 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi – although many will know that Mark Hamill has returned to film new footage for the follow-up.
What exactly that involvement is remains unclear – will he be seen as a Force Ghost, or will we see him in flashback or a fantasy sequence?
Whatever the answer, this fresh report claims we’ll know more after the first trailer; countering earlier suggestions that he would be left out of the marketing altogether.
Star Wars YouTuber Mike Zeroh commented: “What’s really exciting involving the teaser trailer has to do with the format and exactly how they will be marketing the movie.
“JJ Abrams, Disney and Lucasfilm are in negotiations of including Luke Skywalker dialogue into the teaser trailer, in order to let casual fans know the Jedi Master is making an official return in the final instalment.”
Zeroh – who regularly posts alleged leaks and rumours, with mixed results – also claimed to have heard that Hamill has recently recorded ADR (automated dialogue replacement) for the clip.
Fans may remember something similar happened in The Force Awakens: his voice was heard in the early trailers, even though he didn’t have any lines in the finished movie.
Whatever the truth, before we get a teaser we’ll likely get the film’s official title.
Before The Last Jedi’s release in December 2017, we got the title on January 23 of that year.
With Episode 9 expected to hit cinemas at a similar time in 2019, the expectation will now be that we’ll get the title in the coming days or weeks – although Lucasfilm have given no official indication that it’s on the horizon.
Plot details are sparse, although Richard E Grant recently hinted in a new interview that his character’s identity will be quite a treat.
Star Wars 9 is out in December.