Unused STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Posters Surface As Lucasfilm's Future Plans Become Clear

Excitement for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was incredibly high in 2019. An early teaser trailer confirmed that Emperor Palpatine had somehow returned, and that alone was enough to have fans of this franchise losing their minds over how the Skywalker Saga might end.

Unfortunately, the movie didn't receive a particularly warm response from fans or critics, with a disappointing 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is, however, worth pointing out that Episode IX has a far more impressive 86% Audience Score. 

Disney and Lucasfilm's strong marketing campaign ensured Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was a hit, leading to it grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Now, though, some of the posters we didn't get to see half a decade ago have found their way online. 

There are some phenomenal pieces of poster art here, though it seems Lucasfilm decided to head down a different route (and there's only ever going to be enough room for a limited number of one-sheets).

These come amid rumblings Shawn Levy wants Daisy Ridley's Rey in his Star Wars movie and it sounds like the character could factor into Simon Kinberg's planned trilogy as well. However, according to Daniel Richtman, there's another project in the works that will include the Jedi as Lucasfilm goes all in on the last remaining Skywalker. 

This doesn't mean she'll show up in all of them, of course, as the studio might be throwing all of these ideas at the wall to see what sticks.

"It’s still upsetting," Ridley previously said of the negative response to The Rise of Skywalker. "You don’t want people to feel like you’ve not served the thing they’re a fan of. But [The Last Jedi] was so divisive...it felt like the first one everyone was responsive in the same way. The second, super divisive. The last one, super divisive. It didn’t change how I felt about it."

The actor also looked back on the now-divisive decision to reveal that Rey was really the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. "Well, J.J. [Abrams] was the one who was like, she is of no one, so it wasn’t just The Last Jedi where that was the message," Ridley recalled. "What was interesting about the last one, for me, was that you can be a hero and not come from anywhere or you can be a hero and come from literally the worst person in the universe."

"You’re not your parents, you’re not your grandparents, you’re not your bloodline and you’re not the generations before you. So, I always was like, sure. But it’s beyond my pay grade. I say the words, do the thing," she continued. "I do love the version of, you can be anyone you want to be, but I also love the version where you can rectify wrongs and can’t help what you’re born into."

Check out those unused posters for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker below.