LOS ANGELES — (CNN) Here’s one crazy “Star Wars” theory we can scratch: Jar Jar Binks is definitely not a Sith lord.
The news gets even better, for many Star Wars fans at least: “Jar Jar is definitely not in the movie,” the Hollywood Reporter quoted producer Kathleen Kennedy as saying at a “Force Awakens” press panel Sunday in Los Angeles.
And the icing?
There are no Ewoks, either, according to director J.J. Abrams.
Binks is one of the most reviled characters in the Star Wars canon, mocked for his stumbling manner and sing-song patois accent many found offensive. But some have argued the character was actually a powerful adherent of the dark side of the Force. That’s led to speculation he might appear in the new film, possibly even as the cloaked, lightsaber-wielding Kylo Ren.
Adam Driver, who actually does portray Kylo Ren, said the character will be less of a consistent bad guy and more of a three-dimensional character.
Without revealing details, Driver described the character as “somebody who feels morally justified” in what he is doing and consequently “more dangerous and more unpredictable.”
Other tidbits from the panel, according to video of the event posted by Flicks and the City:
The name of the film’s new droid, BB-8, was the first and only name considered for that character, Abrams said. “Rey and Finn and Poe went through many iterations. Kylo Ren was Kylo Ren fairly early on, and Maz Kanata, I think, was always Maz Kanata.”
There will be no extra scene setting up the next film after the credits, Abrams said.
As for the next installments, Kennedy said, “we haven’t mapped out every single detail yet.” But she said Abrams and Episode VIII director Rian Johnson and others involved in the production are working together. “So far, it’s going great,” she said.
John Boyega rejected the hype surrounding his portrayal of a Stormtrooper. When Boyega was first cast, complaints bubbled up about a black man being cast as a Stormtrooper, who — if unmasked at all — were portrayed in the prequels as clones. He later told the critics to “get used to it.” On Sunday, he said he’s already tired of the entire issue. “I really don’t care about the black Stormtrooper stuff. I couldn’t care less,” he said. “This is a a movie about human beings, about Wookiees, spaceships and TIE fighters.”
The film, you may have heard, opens December 18.
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