With filming expected to begin next month on Star Wars 9, fans are eager for any information regarding this sequel, and a new report, while unconfirmed, may reveal details about the opening scene. While no Star Wars rumors are ever confirmed by the studio before, during and after production, some have turned out to be true, although they're all to be taken with a grain of salt. In the absence of any confirmed plot details, which LucasFilm rarely releases, rumors are all we're left with. There may be potential spoilers below regarding the opening scenes of Star Wars 9, so read on at your own risk.
This report from Cinema Blend claims the opening scene will feature the funeral of General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), which makes sense from one perspective, since Fisher tragically passed away in December 2016 after filming The Last Jedi. Back in January 2017, LucasFilm made the rare move of actually responding to a press rumor that claimed the studio was considering using CGI technology to digitally create Leia, like they did in Rogue One with Grand Moff Tarkin, played by the late Peter Cushing. They said it was false. Still, with that being said, fans have wondered how they will address Leia's eventual death, even though Carrie Fisher's brother Todd Fisher recently revealed he hoped Leia still has a presence in Star Wars 9.
What makes this tricky is that Leia was last seen at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi alive, aboard the Millennium Falcon, after her controversial return from the depths of space. What also hasn't been confirmed yet is if there will be a time gap between Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars 9. While The Last Jedi started immediately where the final scene of The Force Awakens left off, most Star Wars movies have a sizable time gap of several years between movies, and it would seem likely that there will be another time gap here. If Star Wars 9 does in fact begin with Leia's funeral, with her death presumably taking place just before the start of the movie, it would address what needs to be addressed with Leia right away.
There were rumors that, at the time of Carrie Fisher's death, there were two pivotal scenes that the actress had not shot, which were believed to be featured in Star Wars 9. One was Leia's reunion with her brother Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the other was her ultimate confrontation with her son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who killed Leia's husband/his father Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That report was never confirmed, and there is no indication if these scenes will still be included and reworked in some other way in Star Wars 9.
All that is known for sure about Star Wars 9 thus far is that J.J. Abrams will direct from a script he co-wrote with Chris Terrio (Argo, Batman v Superman), with Disney setting a December 20, 2019 release date. Hopefully when production begins this summer, the studio will release a full cast list, but it isn't clear if the studio plans on doing so or not. You can take a look at the full report about the possible first scene of Star Wars 9 over at Cinema Blend.
