Before the release of The Last Jedi, Star Wars Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow was fired from the project over creative differences. Despite having produced script treatments before and after Carrie Fisher’s death, the film’s plot was completely changed as The Force Awakens JJ Abrams was brought on to finish the trilogy he started with The Rise of Skywalker. Now concept art from Duel of the Fates, the Episode IX that never was, has leaked online and Trevorrow has authenticated it.
Trevorrow tweeted: “Yes, this is from Duel of the Fates.
“But I’d never kill R2…he just took a bad hit. Happens to all of us.”
The pieces of concept art see Luke’s Force ghost blocking Kylo Ren’s lightsaber with his hand, C-3PO comforting a damaged R2-D2, Rey being trained by Luke’s Force Ghost and shockingly Kylo Ren somehow duelling Darth Vader.
Additionally, we see Rey – dressed in black – fighting Kylo Ren and stormtroopers with a double-sided blue lightsaber, Hux dying by suicide with a lightsaber after the Resistance’s victory on Coruscant, while Leia channels A New Hope by giving BB-8 a message.
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Next up, C-3PO and R2-D2 are seen exploring the ruins of Coruscant, the Millennium Falcon lands on a new planet, the First Order looms over Coruscant and Finn yells ‘Rey’ during a battle scene.
Last week, an alleged Duel of the Fates script leak saw Kylo Ren kill Rey’s parents, while other details seem to have been confirmed by the authenticated concept art.
Allegedly, the film saw Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico have a much bigger role than in The Rise of Skywalker.
In the latter, The Last Jedi star had only around one minute of screen time at the Resistance base.
Specifically, nobodies who were slaughtered by Kylo Ren, who would have been the big bad instead of Palpatine in Duel of the Fates.
As for the third act battle, Luke, Obi-Wan and Yoda’s Force ghosts helped Rey fight – presumably actually manifesting this time – while trying and failing to redeem Kylo Ren.
No doubt, had Trevorrow’s vision manifested, fans of The Last Jedi would have been much happier with Duel of the Fates.
After all, The Rise of Skywalker has been accused of retconning Rian Johnson’s narrative decisions in The Last Jedi.
For example, The Last Jedi saw Kylo Ren reveal to Rey that her parents were nobodies and the end of the film saw a child summon a broom with the Force.
These moments highlighted that anyone could be a hero regardless of noble birth.
Nevertheless, The Rise of Skywalker saw Kylo Ren explain how Rey’s parents chose to be nobodies when really her father was the son of Palpatine. Instead, she chooses to be a Skywalker.
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