Chewbacca Actor Teases Plenty of Shocking Moments in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the difficult task of concluding not only the sequel trilogy of films, but also the entire Skywalker Saga that launched with the original Star Wars more than 40 years ago. Throughout the course of the series, fans have been treated to a number of surprises, largely thanks to the ways in which the films are marketed and how cryptic promotional materials are. Joonas Suotamo, who plays Chewbacca in the upcoming film, replied to a playful Twitter poll claiming that The Rise of Skywalker will feature countless unexpected twists and turns in its narrative.

In response to IMDb asking what film provided their followers with "I did not see the coming" moments, Suotamo joked, "All of my next movie, but shhhh," while adding the hashtag #keepthemontheirtoes.

Suotamo debuted in the Star Wars saga as a double for the late Peter Mayhew in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While the film was received favorably by most fans, some felt that it adhered too closely to the original trilogy, resulting in few surprises. Director J.J. Abrams is returning to the series to direct The Rise of Skywalker, though he previously revealed that Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson inspired him to be more bold with his new film.

"Having seen what Rian did made me approach this from a place of instinct and gut," Abrams shared with Vanity Fair. "I was making choices I knew I would not have made on VII, some story-wise, but more in terms of directing. I found myself feeling less like I'm going to try and do something that feels like it's [only] true to the specifics of this franchise or the story."

Back in 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back provided audiences with one of the biggest plot twists of all time with the reveal that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father. Abrams noted that the upcoming film will not only honor the story that came before it, but also his own personal sensibilities.

"The idea of the movie is kind of how I felt going into the movie as a filmmaker, which is to say that I've inherited all this stuff, great stuff, and good wisdom, and the good and the bad, and it's all coming to this end, and the question is, do we have what it takes to succeed?" Abrams added.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters on December 20th.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!