The new cover story over at Vanity Fair is a look behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There’s not a ton of new information — this is a J.J. Abrams film, after all — but there are some details to learn, along with a ton of beautiful new photos of the film.

The VF story also uncovers the names of some of the new characters joining the saga for Episode IX, including the ones played by Keri Russell and Richard E. Grant. They are Zorri Bliss and Allegiant General Pryde, respectively. Here are the first photos of the characters:

A few other notable details:

  • The Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren’s nasty acolytes, return in a big way for the film. And those were the Knights of Ren Kylo was fighting in the first Rise of Skywalker trailer. (Don’t ask why, we don’t know.)
  • The new planets featured in the film include the desert planet “Pasaana” and snowy “Kijimi.” Pasaana includes aliens called “Aki-Aki and a breed of horse-like creatures called orbaks.”

And here’s one more awesome photo from the story, which could definitely be from the final climax of the movie:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20, 2019. See you on Pasaana.

Gallery — More Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Images:

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