Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker might not be the end of the Skywalkers after all

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's early reactions called it an epic thrill ride that brings the Skywalker Saga to a fitting conclusion. Expect, it might not actually be the conclusion.

Lucasfilm has surely been marketing The Rise of Skywalker as the final chapter in a nine-film series, with cast members also treating the movie as the final time they will play their characters.

But we probably should have known that Lucasfilm's corporate overlord Disney was never going to truly shut the door on bringing back the Skywalkers — there is simply too much money still to be made!

During The Rise of Skywalker's world premiere, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy already dropped a hint that her team may well bring back the Skywalkers down the line.

"It's a mixture of emotions [to end this trilogy]," she said on the red carpet. "We've had such an incredible time. It's just flown by. These five years, and doing these three movies.

"And to realise that we're completing the saga. We're not finishing the Skywalkers, necessarily. The could always, in one way or another, reappear, but for right now it is bringing it to a close."

And there you have it! If that's not confirmation of an At Home with the Skywalkers live-action series on Disney+ for 2023, we don't know what is!

While fans contemplate the future of the Skywalkers, perhaps it's worth thinking about the role General Leia will actually have in the final (for now!) cinematic entry in the Skywalker Saga too. Click here for our thoughts.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a release date of Thursday, December 19 in the UK and Friday, December 20 in the US.

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Justin Harp

Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.