Star Wars Stunt Coordinator Says 90% of The Rise of Skywalker's Filmed Action Is in the Film

In recent years, various reports have emerged regarding a number of high-profile films receiving cuts or edits as mandated by a studio as opposed to a filmmaker, though Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart claims that 90% of the action scenes filmed for the movie were used in the final cut. Given the fact that the film is the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga and that filmmaker Colin Trevorrow was originally attached to direct, as well as the film earning less than stellar reviews, resulted in some fans thinking director J.J. Abrams' vision was stifled, with this reveal seeming to cast doubt on that concept.

"I've done movies where I'd say 60%, 65%, or 70% of our action makes the film," Huthart shared with ScreenRant. "I'd say on the whole, probably 90% of what we shot action-wise made the movie."

It's unclear exactly what that missing 10% would consist of, but based on her comments about how much of her action is typically cut, it would seem like a majority of each action sequence made it into the final film, though in a slightly expedited edit.

Ahead of the release of The Rise of Skywalker, there were a number of sequences teased by the cast and crew that piqued fans' interests, only for the final film to be devoid of such scenes. Making matters even more frustrating is that the film's home video release is devoid of any deleted scenes.

Between the lack of deleted scenes and reported scenes being omitted from the theatrical release, some fans thought there was a conspiracy to stifle Abrams' original film, though actor Greg Grunberg revealed that he has a difficult time understanding the "#ReleaseTheJJCut" social media campaign.

"I never understood that. I talked to J.J. as friends throughout the entire process," Grunberg shared with The Hollywood Reporter in reference to the social media campaigns. "Every night, I'd be like, 'How's it going?' Every time, he was so positive. I'm being completely honest here, but not once did he ever tell me that there was any pressure on him to cut things out. It's part of the creative process, obviously. [Lucasfilm president] Kathy Kennedy is brilliant; the people at Disney are brilliant. They give notes, but ultimately, it's up to J.J., the director, who they really trust."

He added, "Personally, I don't think there's any truth to that, and I would be surprised if there's a 'J.J. cut.' Every movie goes through a series of cuts; it's just the nature of it. You see what works, what you need more of and where you need clarity. So, I think that's all a part of the creative process. I don't buy into it at all."

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available now on Digital HD and hits 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 31st.

Are you surprised so much of the action made it into the film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!