Originally published January 2, 2020. Updated February 22, 2020.
Chris Terrio, co-writer of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, says splitting the film in two would have been his dream scenario.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is certainly packed full of big moments, never letting up the pace across its entire run time but with so much going on in one film, was splitting the film in two ever a possibility?
Well, according to writer Chris Terrio, this would have been his dream scenario and was considered very briefly. Speaking to Awards Daily, he said:
“If there were a way of doing it, splitting it would have been my dream. We could have written these characters forever. There was so much backstory that had to be left by the wayside. I wish that we could have that, but George Lucas always said it was nine movies. That was the natural size of the saga, and so, other than a few initial discussions, we never really advanced that conversation. Of course, as a writer, it breaks your heart to leave stuff on the table that you think would have given the story more depth and nuance and give the characters more to do. Speaking for myself and not on the part of the studio, I do wish there could have been a Part 1 and a Part 2.”
It would be fascinating to see what scenes, elements, and moments would have been included if the film had been split into two parts. Star Wars has such a wealth of lore and characters, that it’s not hard to see how this would have been achieved.
Perhaps the home video release will reveal some interesting deleted scenes! We will have to wait and see.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
