Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's Kylo Ren and Rey moment wasn't always going to happen

Note: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Rey and Kylo Ren's big kiss at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker nearly didn't make the cut, it turns out.

At the end of the latest Star Wars movie, the pair embraced after Kylo gave his life force to save Rey, leaving fans divided, to say the least.

However, the movie's editor has revealed that including the kiss was actually a last minute decision after a lot of back-and-forth.

"I always said, 'The movie will tell us whether they should kiss or not. We will know by the time we get to the end of our process, if it should happen,'" Maryann Brandon told HuffPost. "And I felt it should, and [director JJ Abrams] agreed with me, and other people who saw the film agreed.

"I know it's not for everybody," she added. "I know there will be people who wish they hadn't, but this is a film that was never going to please everyone, and I think that the reviews are kind of reflective of that.

"The things that certain people love, other people hated. And that's the phenomenon of Star Wars."

Brandon has also cleared up any confusion about Kylo's subsequent death, adding: "He got his redemption, I think, in a lovely way. And right after he disappears, [his mother] Leia disappears. I'd like to think that they're together."

While 'Reylo' fans were delighted by the kiss, one person less keen on it was Finn actor John Boyega, who's mocked the pairing on social media.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now.

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Sam Warner

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.