‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Leaks Pit Luke Skywalker And Rey Against A Deadly Duo

Rumors surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi have rebounded with increased vigor, as the film’s premiere draws ever nearer and the gossip surrounding the next Star Wars installment is only matched by the official teasers and spoilers. Most recently, news of an epic battle with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) facing off against villains featured in The Force Awakens suggests director Rian Johnson is raising the bar higher, seeking to give fans the fancy lightsaber work not seen on film since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

Star Wars: Episode 8 Draws Luke Skywalker Back Into Action

While The Force Awakens did give Star Wars fans some thrilling lightsaber duels, Rey’s first steps as a Jedi weren’t quite on par with Ben Kenobi’s expert and, at times, fantastical moves in Revenge of the Sith. Movie Pilot reports that may change as Mark Hamill returns to the franchise in The Last Jedi, giving Luke Skywalker a fuller presence. In fact, it sounds as though Hamill and Ridley will team up for more than just some Jedi training in The Last Jedi.

Deriving its information from Making Star Wars, Movie Pilot reveals that the next Star Wars installment will pit Luke against Snoke (Andy Serkis) as Rey again faces off against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Rian Johnson seems to be following the trend of previous Star Wars films by saving these two confrontations until the end of the film, giving The Last Jedi that final closing battle.

While this news remains unverified by official sources, the idea that Star Wars: The Last Jedi will bring Luke and Rey together against the evil First Order in this way suggests Rian is a faithful follower of the Star Wars franchise. It also suggests that something will jar Luke Skywalker out of his melancholy and return him to the fight for justice as the Jedi Knight fans all know and love.

It also remains unknown whether this will be a side-by-side duel or if Rey and Luke will battle their foes separately. Lightsaber duels are often offset by space battles, so we may see Luke aboard Snoke’s vessel, while Rey fights Kylo on some exotic planet or vice versa.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teases Plot Details

While news of Mark Hamill’s collection of props for The Last Jedi may not be as exciting as a full-blown battle with Snoke, Gizmodo nonetheless reveals that Luke Skywalker will be armed to the teeth. To begin, Luke will be equipped with a compass. This is no ordinary compass, however. The item, described as an intergalactic compass, will enable Skywalker to navigate his way between any two points in the galaxy.

Additionally, the Last Jedi hero will also possess a special walking stick that contains a mechanism capable of generating a small electroshock. It’s reported that Luke will use it to shock small creatures on the island of Ahch-To. That’s not a very nice thing to do for a Jedi with a devotion to the Force, unless, of course, he’s turned to the dark side.

On a more mundane note, it was also reported that Luke carries an orange backpack and, among its contents, the Star Wars hero carries a water bottle.

For fans looking for more details on Star Wars: Episode 8, IGN previously reported that a Japanese pamphlet teased spoilers sure to attract any Star Wars fan.

“The Most Shocking Truth in Star Wars History Will Soon be Revealed!” read the pamphlet’s cover, once translated into English.

Unfortunately (and expectedly), that headline was largely hype with the contents revealing nothing of real value. Largely, the pamphlet simply retold the story of The Force Awakens. It did, however, reveal what the rest of the cast might be doing while Luke battles Snoke and Rey fights Kylo Ren.

“Kylo Ren’s mother, the leader of the Resistance, Leia, Poe, Finn, and BB-8, will embark on a new mission!”

The pamphlet also suggested that Star Wars: The Last Jedi would leave off with a mystery, but that’s hardly surprising, considering this is only the second film in a new Star Wars trilogy.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters on December 15.

[Featured Image by Walt Disney Pictures/Lucasfilm]