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The script for Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars film, which was scrapped in favour of JJ Abrams ’s The Rise of Skywalker , has been confirmed to be real.
Jurassic World director Trevorrow stepped down from the project in September 2017 after reportedly clashing with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy.
Following its leak, fans perused the leaked script to see which direction the Star Wars franchise would have gone in had Trevorrow stayed on as director.
Disney never commented on the reports, but Trevorrow has now confirmed the leak’s legitimacy – and his ideas were wildly different to Abrams’s (spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker below) .
Firstly, the script reveals the film’s original title and opening crawl, which you can find here .
Star Wars films – ranked worst to best Show all 11 1 /11Star Wars films – ranked worst to best Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 11. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) The prequel trilogy has lived on in infamy, but the true low point of this low point in the Star Wars franchise must be Attack of the Clones, the dry, crusted middle of the cinematic sandwich. While Revenge of the Sith has some sense of completion and The Phantom Menace has some sense of wonder, all Attack of the Clones has is a CGI Yoda bopping about the screen like an unswattable fly while battling Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku. It’s a film driven by unnecessary desires: from the space politics, to Boba Fett’s backstory, to Padmé and Anakin’s romance. The latter is the most insufferable, since George Lucas never had much of an ear for dialogue, as notoriously pointed out by Harrison Ford when he declared on set: “George, you can type this s***, but you sure as hell can’t say it.” Which leads us to one of the worst line readings in cinematic history, when Hayden Christensen’s Anakin laments: “I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating – and it gets everywhere.”
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 10. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) Hollywood has increasingly made the assumption that “darker” means better when it comes to cinema – it explains why the Harry Potter films look like they were made while someone gradually turned down the dimmer switch on the studio lights. Of course, audiences know that “darker” sometimes means that your protagonist-turned-villain becomes a “youngling”-murdering, amateur street magician-looking sourpuss. Anakin’s arc here comes to a whimper of an ending, underlined by the much-derided decision to have Darth Vader’s first moments onscreen involve him howling “Noooooo!” up to the sky like a mournful hound. That said, Ewan McGregor confirms here that he managed to escape the franchise largely unscathed, as this instalment sees him have the most fun with the clunky dialogue (see: “Hello there!” and “I have the high ground!”).
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 9. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) The Phantom Menace escapes slightly ahead of the rest of the prequel trilogy, if only for the fact it remembers these films are meant to be fun once in a while. The pod race – it’s a good scene! Darth Maul is all looks, zero follow through – it’s embarrassing to act like you’ve won, only to be cut in half and sent hurtling down an exhaust pipe – but his inclusion in the film did introduce one of the best musical themes in Star Wars history, John Williams’s “Duel of the Fates”. However, the space politics are a particular drag here, with all the talk of trade disputes, and, of course, it's obligatory to mention the terror that is Jar Jar Binks.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 8. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) Although it’s the weakest of the new generation of Star Wars films, Solo still holds up as a fun romp worthy of Han Solo’s rascal reputation. Alden Ehrenreich picks up on enough of Harrison Ford’s mannerisms to sell the character without sliding into imitation, while Donald Glover is a scene stealer from the very moment he walks on screen as Lando Calrissian. It’s a lost opportunity, then, that the film is otherwise slowed down by an impulse to offer backstory to as many aspects of Han’s character as possible. Did we really need to know how we got the name “Solo”? Really?
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 7. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker Director JJ Abrams, like the hero of an ancient prophecy, was destined to make both enemies and allies with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There will be arguments. And there will be arguments about the arguments. There will be obsessive deconstructions and over-interpretations of each frame and intake of breath. But, at the end of the day, this is still a Star Wars film in its very bones, muscle, and sinew. Whatever controversy Abrams might have brewed up with his artistic choices, he still captures magnificently the soul of this series: that unwavering hope that the powerless can win, despite the odds.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 6. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) There’s a lot to wrap up in the concluding chapter of the original trilogy. The result is a few odd turns for the sake of plot convenience. What does one do with a character as enigmatic as Boba Fett? Why, have him topple into the Sarlacc pit within the first 20 minutes! How does one put to rest the love triangle hinted at in A New Hope? Why, insert a revelation that Luke and Leia are, in fact, brother and sister! Even the second Death Star oddly feels sillier than The Force Awakens and its third attempt at a giant ball in space, since The First Order at least had the excuse that their obsessive admiration of the Empire may have clouded their judgement. That said, there’s still plenty of charm to be found here and the Ewoks aren’t all that bad. Before you dismiss them as irritating merchandise opportunities, it’s worth remembering that they have absolutely no qualms about killing and eating people.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) If Rogue One is any indication of Disney’s plans for the franchise and its future, then there’s no cause for concern. The first of the “A Star Wars Story” spin-offs, it shifts into gear with ease, soothing audiences by not straying too far from the familiar timeline while introducing a full set of new characters and a grittier tone. Stylistically, it feels more like a Vietnam War movie and is proof of how far a gifted director like Gareth Edwards can stray from the franchise’s usual formula and still feel grounded in the same world. Plus, you have to admire the guts it takes to deliver an ending like that…
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 4. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) Disney made a very smart move with The Force Awakens. As the first Star Wars film of a new generation, it not only had to make its own mark, but feel familiar enough that it welcomed fans back with open arms. The balance is hit perfectly here. That’s largely due to the film’s new trio of central heroes, who radiate the same kind of warmth, bravery, and spirit that carved a special place in people’s hearts when they were first introduced to the franchise’s original stars. Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn, and Oscar Isaac’s Poe honour Star Wars's past while striding into its unknown future. It also helps that the film has landed on a villain like Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), whose drive and complexity may see him surpass even Darth Vader by the end of his story in Episode IX.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 3. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) Any divisiveness the film attracted certainly proved one thing: here’s a Star Wars film that actually took a creative risk. And what a bold, ambitious, and ultimately beautiful risk that was. Director Rian Johnson took the cinematic legacy presented before him and added a new richness to its textures. He allowed heroism to go beyond the clean divide between good and evil; through Luke and Rey, we were taught not to be ashamed of our doubts but to grow stronger because of them. We were taught not to use destiny as a crutch, but to know when to forge our own paths. The Last Jedi is a soulful film told through some of the most striking cinematography of the entire franchise.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) It’s the place where it all began. The Star Wars franchise has only become the success it is today because of how purely revolutionary the first instalment was as a piece of Hollywood filmmaking. It is, to this day, one of the most successful examples of the modern epic, endlessly imitated but so rarely with the same heart or ambition. George Lucas tapped into one of the most timeless qualities of storytelling: its ability to let us see and understand our own world through the eyes of another. Star Wars has become so iconic because, even on such a grand scale, we know and relate to the emotions at hand – fear, love, or a desire to do what’s right.
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Star Wars films – ranked worst to best 1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) The Empire Strikes Back is remarkable in its ability to pursue real emotional stakes. Its closing moments, the final note to its symphony of sacrifice and tragedy, leaves us with the single, delicate emotion that is hope, blooming in the darkness as our heroes set out to save Han and restore the Rebel Alliance. What A New Hope built up by making us fall in love with these characters, The Empire Strikes Back recouped in sharing with us their pain and their fears. Darth Vader’s reveal that he’s Luke’s father has, of course, found its place in history, but there’s an equal sense of emotional resonance in the moment Leia and Han depart, moments before he’s trapped in carbonite. When Leia’s “I love you” is returned by Han’s “I know” – a line written by Harrison Ford himself – we’re reminded of how magical Star Wars’s sense of storytelling can be, condensing everything that these two characters feel for each other into five simple words.
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Concept art of his film also leaked with one photo showing R2-D2 looking worse for wear. Was he planning to kill the droid? The director has made it clear on Twitter this was never part of his plan.
The most interesting aspect from the leaked screenplay, which was co-written by Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, is the absence of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who, save for a mention in the breakdown, doesn’t appear to feature in the film.
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) would have had a far darker arc than he had in The Rise of Skywalker . According to the script, he would have spent the film “haunted” by the ghost of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Darth Vader’s old castle. There, he would have found a Sith device that put him on the path to Palpatine’s Sith teacher, Tor Valum.
Trevorrow also wrote it so that it’s revealed Ren killed Rey’s parents who were, in fact, nobody important to the franchise after all.
After the Force Ghosts of Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda return to help Rey in her attempts to bring Ren to the good side, he is “extinguished”.
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Try for free Just like Abrams, Trevorrow didn’t envision that Rey and Kylo kiss, either. According to recent reports, Abrams was left unsatisfied by several orders made by Disney in relation to his finished film.
Other things that would have undoubtedly scored praise from fans include: a heist story arc for BB-8 and Rose Tico (meaning Kelly Marie Tran, who received just 76 seconds of screen-time in The Rise of Skywalker , would have had a far bigger role to play), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) piloting an X-Wing and Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) stealing a Star Destroyer.
Abrams’s The Rise of Skywalker , released last month, has divided critics and audiences, with some highlighting the movie’s sense of adventure and others criticising it for its moments of fan service.
Consequently, the film has a critical score of 54 per cent on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes – one of the lowest for any movie in the long-running Star Wars franchise. Its audience score sits at 86 per cent, though, which is 43 per cent higher than the score amassed by Rian Johnson’s previous Star Wars film, The Last Jedi .
The 65 best movie insults of all timeShow all 49 1 /49The 65 best movie insults of all time The 65 best movie insults of all time Avengers Assemble (2012) "This is my bargain, you mewling quim."
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) "Hey, where'd you get those clothes, the toilet store?"
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REX
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New Line Cinema
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Universal Pictures
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Universal Pictures
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Orion Pictures
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Warner Bros Pictures
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Universal Pictures
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Columbia Pictures
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Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
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eOne Films
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Pandora Cinema
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Paramount Pictures
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Columbia Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Favourite (2018) "You look like a badger."
Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Miramax Films
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Hangover (2009) "You are literally too stupid to insult."
Warner Bros. Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time His Girl Friday (1940) "Listen, you insignificant, square-toed, pimple-headed spy!"
Columbia Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time Home Alone (1990) "You're what the French call: 'les incompetents'."
DON SMETZER/20TH CENTURY FOX/The Kobal Collection/WireImage.com
The 65 best movie insults of all time In Bruges (2008) "YOU'RE AN INANIMATE F***ING OBJECT!"
Universal Studios/Focus Features
The 65 best movie insults of all time Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) Perry : "Look up 'idiot' in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?"
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REX
The 65 best movie insults of all time Knocked Up "Your face looks like Robin Williams' knuckles.”
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) "Were you always this stupid or did you take lessons?"
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) "My great aunt Jennifer ate a whole box of candy every day of her life. She lived to be 102 and when she'd been dead three days, she looked better than you do now."
Warner Bros.
The 65 best movie insults of all time Matilda (1996) "Your mummy is a TWIT."
TriStar Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Mist (2007) “I’ll tell you what. The day I need a friend like you, I’ll just have myself a little squat and s*** one out.”
REX
The 65 best movie insults of all time Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."
EMI Films
The 65 best movie insults of all time National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, d***less, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey s*** he is."
The 65 best movie insults of all time Parenthood (1989) "I wouldn't live with you if the world were flooded with piss and you lived in a tree."
Universal Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time Phantom Thread (2018) "Are you a special agent sent here to ruin my evening and possibly my entire life?"
REX
The 65 best movie insults of all time Point Break (1991) "You're a real blue flame special, aren't you, son? Young, dumb and full of cum. What I don't know is how you got assigned here. Guess we must just have ourselves an asshole shortage, huh?"
REX
The 65 best movie insults of all time The Princess Bride (1987) "I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon."
Vestron Pictures
The 65 best movie insults of all time Say Anything (1989) "I got a question: if you guys know so much about women, how come you're here on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?"
The 65 best movie insults of all time Scarface (1983) "Even if I were blind, desperate, starved and begging for it on a desert island, you'd be the last thing I'd ever f***."
Universal Pictures
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The 65 best movie insults of all time Sexy Beast (2000) "You're the f***ing problem you f***ing Dr White honkin' jam-rag f***ing spunk-bubble!"
REX
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Miramax Films
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REX
The 65 best movie insults of all time Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) "Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder."
20th Century Fox
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REX
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Paramount Vantage/Miramax Films
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Orion Pictures
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Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
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Paramount Pictures
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HandMade Films
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Loew's, Inc.
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REX
A full breakdown of Trevorrow’s alleged leaked script can be found on Reddit .
Abrams recently revealed what he believes to be the answer to one of The Rise of Skywalker ’s biggest mysteries: what Finn was about to say to Rey before getting sucked into the quicksand in Pasaana.
Find a list of every unexpected cameo in the film here .
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