Wait, Did Star Wars Episode IX’s Title Just Leak?
There's arguably no film franchise quite as popular as Star Wars. George Lucas' colorful space opera has been enthralling moviegoers for decades, with generations of fans eager to see what comes next from the galaxy far, far away. Disney has been breaking new ground through projects like standalone films and the upcoming live-action series on Disney+.
But all eyes are on what J.J Abrams will do with Episode IX, which is set to complete the Skywalker Saga forever, as well as the trilogy he began back with A New Hope. Almost nothing is known about the upcoming blockbuster, including the film's title, which is still being kept under wraps. But a new possible title just hit the internet, and it sounds like a great choice: Balance Of The Force.
This possible title comes to us from Reddit, as one user was apparently privy to the code in the official Star Wars website. The post shows a future logo for the site, revealing the title and encouraging Star Wars fans to see J.J. Abrams' upcoming blockbuster in IMAX. It's important to note this is far from confirmed, although the title Balance of the Force is enough to get most self-respecting Star Wars fans hyped for the upcoming threequel.
Considering Episode IX will wrap up a story that was spread out among 9 movies and decades of filmmaking, the pressure is on for J.J. Abrams to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the narrative. The Jedi Order strove to bring balance to the force, especially during George Lucas' prequel trilogy. Anakin Skywalker was meant to bring that balance, as the chosen one. Of course, we all saw how that ended up in Revenge of the Sith.
Still, J.J. Abrams possibly bringing balance to the force in Episode IX is an extremely exciting concept, if Balance Of The Force ends up being the real name of the upcoming blockbuster. The title brings a level of importance and finality to the movie, which would likely help its box office performance, and encourage even casual fans to shell out cash to see Abrams' threequel in theaters.
Box office performance is going to be very important for the next few Star Wars releases to come from the Disney machine. The Last Jedi did make a ton of money domestically, but the criticism against the film may have cost the franchise some fans ahead of Episode IX. The most recent standalone Solo: A Star Wars Story ended up being a box office flop, as Ron Howard failed to complete the project started by Chris Miller and Phil Lord in a way that resonated with audiences.
As such, Episode IX and its possible new title will have to prove how viable the Star Wars franchise truly is. Considering the plans for Rian Johnson's trilogy and the franchise's small screen projects, it's clear that Lucasfilm has no plans to slow down anytime soon. But one has to think that Kathleen Kennedy and company will take the success of J.J. Abrams' upcoming sequel into account when planning for the future
Episode IX is currently set to arrive in theaters on December 20th, 2019, and CinemaBlend will keep you updated on if/when the film's title is officially revealed. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.