Kevin Smith recently took a trip to the set of Star Wars: Episode IX in the UK, and he’s returned ecstatic about what’s to come, singing his spoiler-free praises for the things he witnessed in a recent appearance on Lights Camera Barstool.
Speaking on the podcast, the filmmaker and comedian explained that he saw two scenes being filmed that left him amazed:
“That was incredible. Like, oh my god, that movie looks phenomenal. Nobody is talking about it right now because they’re in production and it don’t come out for a f%&kin’ year and stuff but like, I saw things. I was there for a week and watched two scenes get filmed.”
Smith was then asked if the incredible things he saw had something to do with the events of The Last Jedi, and in an answer that may prove reassuring to the detractors of Rian Johnson’s flick, he said that the moments he witnessed were connected to the saga in general rather than Episode IX’s immediate predecessor:
“It had nothin’ to do with Last Jedi. The things I saw, that blew my mind are on a Star Wars-level. All universe, all flicks. There were some details I heard that *gasps* since they’re wrapping this up with nine.”
Smith also gave credit to writer-director J.J. Abrams for what he regarded as a phenomenal conclusion to the Sequel Trilogy:
“What I saw was spellbinding and heartwarming and, boy did they get the right guy. What I saw was massive too. The biggest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, the biggest set I’d seen in my life.”
Lastly, Smith stressed that this upcoming picture is looking to be a real tearjerker, singling out one particular performance as a highlight:
“Everyone should have a good-ass cry. I watched a performance that was a career-best (Star Wars) performance on set. It’s going to be amazing. That movie, what I saw, we always knew it would be wonderful and J.J. did a great job with Force Awakens, oh my lord.”
Needless to say, Smith is a fan of what he saw, and while it’s still over a year before we can judge these scenes for ourselves, a recent report suggests that we might be getting the film’s first trailer before the month is out.
In the meantime, the internet has yielded quite a few rumors to mull over this week, including the claims that Abrams’ next pic will see the return of both Kylo Ren’s mask and the Knights of Ren – two elements that were introduced in Abrams’ The Force Awakens before being sidelined in The Last Jedi.
It’ll probably be a long wait before we get any confirmation on such claims, but hopefully Lucasfilm won’t keep us completely out of the loop before Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.