Several 'Episode IX' Costume Reference Photos Leak

By: Dominic Jones

While the plot of Star Wars Episode IX, the upcoming conclusion to the sequel trilogy hitting theaters this December, remains largely under-wraps, we have just seen a pretty significant leak of images associated with the film.  Fifteen reference pictures of characters from the new film were just posted online by JediPraxis over at the /StarWarsLeaks subreddit.  The pictures show several new aliens, a new droid, our first looks at the costumes of new returning characters in Episode IX.  As always, there is a (small) chance this may not be true but if you are trying to avoid all Episode IX spoilers then stop reading now.  This is your official SPOILER ALERT!

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Check out the image below,

Leaked Episode IX Concept Art and Reference Photos from r/StarWarsLeaks

This marks our first look at the characters played by Dominic Monaghan and Richard E. Grant.  It is also our first look at Rey, Lando, and Kylo's looks in the new film (though we had heard about Kylo's red tweaks to his helmet previously).  We also get another look at Poe Dameron's costume, which was previously seen in some leaked pictures from the set.

The biggest takeaways from this, in my opinion, is that we now have a little insight into the roles of Richard E. Grant and Dominic Monaghan, though it's no real surprise when you think about it.  Grant has a history of playing very menacing bad guys, which, combined with his being British, makes him perfect for a First Order officer role.  Meanwhile, Monaghan continues the tradition of Abrams putting his talented friends (and Lost alums) into Resistance roles, following in the footsteps of Ken Leung and Greg Grunberg.

Lando's look is a little surprising to me, given how close it is to Donald Glover's costume as the young Lando in Solo.  Given that Glover's portrayal is the most recent version of Lando audiences will have seen, it makes sense that the production would want to evoke it, however having it be almost the exact same costume is not something I would have predicted.  A recent report from MakingStarWars.net also reveals that Lando will have a cool cane in the film, which, given Billy Dee Williams' age, is likely as much a practical decision as an aesthetic one.

Meanwhile Rey and Kylo's costumes are very similar to what we've seen the characters in before.  Rey's outfit seems very similar to what she wore during the training scenes on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi. While the costume looks cool, I was always more a fan of her Jedi costume from the end of the film, so I'm sad to see it go. The addition of red to Kylo's helmet is a nice touch, with the implication being he repaired it after smashing it in The Last Jedi. What this says about Kylo's headspace in Episode IX is also interesting. After being tempted by the light in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi has he finally shed the Ben Solo identity completely and fully embraced his Kylo Ren persona for good?  We'll find out this December.

The alien, droid and generic Resistance officer costumes all look cool, but it's hard to get a good look at them in the image.  I can't wait to get a better look at them during the promotion for the film and/or in the theater and/or in the Visual Dictionary.

Star Wars Episode IX hit theaters on December 20th, 2019.  The film is directed by JJ Abrams, with a script by Abrams and Chris Terio.  The film stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie Fisher.

Source: r/StarWarsLeaks

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