The premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is only a little over a month away but it looks like the highly anticipated film was off to a rocky start. A new report reveals that the first version of Episode IX was so disastrous that George Lucas had to step in to fix the entire thing.
The report comes from Cosmic Book News where it is revealed that there could be three versions of The Rise of Skywalker out there. The first cut is from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams but it only scored 29 in test screenings. This is when Disney CEO reportedly stepped in. The second cut then resulted in a score of 65 from test audiences.
Not surprisingly, this wasn't enough for Disney. The studio decided to bring in Lucas to interfere with the entire film and his cut's final score came out at 88. This could have a lot to do with Lucas' surprise move of introducing a secret Skywalker in the third act.
It's interesting that The Rise of Skywalker had to be tested three times since it could explain the reshoots earlier this year. Likewise, the idea of Lucas stepping in to "fix" Episode IX would be a welcome one. On the other hand, the rumors have not been confirmed so it would be best to take this with a grain of salt.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the final film in the Skywalker Saga so Lucas' involvement should be important. We're still not sure whether the theatrical cut will be the one that Lucas had worked on. Nevertheless, we may soon find out as the movie hits theaters on December 20.
Related: Star Wars: The Mandalorian First 3 Episode Titles, Synopses Revealed
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Star Wars: Episode IX