Fresh off word that fans should expect a bit of a hiatus following the release of Star Wars: Episode IX, Disney and related Powers That Be have unveiled the film's first trailer.
The exciting look opens on our hero, Rey. From there, we see other familiar faces like Lando and Leia. A title was not revealed.
Just kidding. It's rightly (and rather revealingly?) called The Rise of Skywalker. Fittingly, the trailer was actually played twice back-to-back when it debuted Friday at the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago.
Catch the new glimpse above via YouTube or below via Twitter.
The J.J. Abrams-directed saga-concluder hits theaters Dec. 20. An Empire reporter says J.J. Abrams personally confirmed that, as the laugh at the end of the trailer hints, Emperor Palpatine is, somehow, back. And reprised by 74-year-old Ian McDiarmid.
As Disney's Bob Iger let loose Thursday during a chat with Bloomberg, the studio will be hitting the pause button on new movies for some reassessment moving into 2020. "We will take a pause, some time, and reset, because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie," he said.
Though future movies are indeed still in the future, with several now in development, the focus for the time being will be on Star Wars' TV properties.
Abrams previously helmed a Star War back in 2015 with the franchise-reviving The Force Awakens. Colin Trevorrow, then fresh off Jurassic World success, was originally aboard Episode IX to direct but was ultimately removed due to creative differences. In an interview with Uproxx last June, Trevorrow explained how the experience represented a "very personal loss" that's deeper than simply losing a directing job.
