It's been over forty years since we were first introduced to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in STAR WARS, but the long-running story of the Skywalker family is due to come to an end this year. When the cast of the upcoming, and still untitled, STAR WARS: EPISODE IX was announced last year, Disney/Lucasfilm declared that the film would be the "final installment" of the Skywalker saga.
While speaking on The Today Show to promote Netflix's TRIPLE FRONTIER, Oscar Isaac was asked about STAR WARS, and naturally, he couldn't say much about it. All that Oscar Isaac could say was to confirm that STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will indeed be bringing the nine-film story to a definite conclusion.
It is the end of the entire Skywalker saga. Nine stories. This is the culmination of the thing. I think what J.J. [Abrams] has done, and really the whole Lucasfilm team, is going to be incredibly fulfilling. It’s also special for us because you get to learn a lot more new things about these characters.
Oscar Isaac also spoke about Carrie Fisher, who tragically passed away prior to the release of STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. Although Fisher will have a part to play in EPISODE IX thanks to footage left over from THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE LAST JEDI, Isaac said that she was certainly missed on the set. "We’ve thought about her so much," Isaac said. "Her spirit's there [in the film]. Her daughter, Billie Lourd, came back to play a part. Her spirit was definitely there with us and we’re missing her."
Although STAR WARS: EPISODE IX seems to be the end of the Skywalker saga, Disney obviously has no plans to end the entire franchise. THE LAST JEDI writer/director Rian Johnson is developing an entirely new STAR WARS trilogy, as are Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, so we'll have plenty of STAR WARS to fill our foreseeable future.
STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will hit theaters on December 20, 2019.