J.J. Abrams Says Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Needs to Work as a Standalone Film

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the finale to this decades-spanning Skywalker story so fans are getting ready by rewatching previous Star War movies, whether they're the prequels, the original trilogy, or the most recent installments. This is the common thing to do when you know that this is the third film in a trilogy but it looks like director J.J. Abrams wants you to jump into this film, whether you've seen previous movies or not.

During Star Wars Celebration (via CinemaBlend), Abrams stressed the importance of this being a standalone movie. This isn't a bad method of thinking since you want a wide as possible audience to check out your films, so making these movies accessible is far from bad. You didn't need to watch the first Captain America film to enjoy Captain America: Winter Soldier, though you might have wondered about Bucky.

Here is what Abrams had to say:

"Also, this movie, in addition to being the end of three trilogies, also needs to work as its own movie. That's been part of the fun of it, part of the challenge of it. This movie is about this new generation and what they've inherited: the light and the dark. And asking the question as they face the greatest evil: Are they prepared? Are they ready? It's been really incredible to look at this thing George has created and bring it to a close in this way."

Once again, this isn't a bad method of filmmaking though fans wouldn't mind if it was a bit self-indulgent when it comes to Star Wars lore. If you like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Kingdom Hearts 3, there's nothing wrong with making media that only appeals to fans, especially if it can get others curious about what's going on.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out this December.

Read: Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker: Sizzle Reel from SWCC 2019 Leaks Online