Star Wars: A New Hope Character Reportedly Returning for The Rise of Skywalker

Earlier this month, the cover of the novel Star Wars: Resistance Reborn hit the internet, with the Spanish version of the novel seemingly revealing that Wedge Antilles would be returning for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, leading Rebel Force Radio to claim they confirmed that actor Denis Lawson would appear in the new film. Wedge debuted in Star Wars: A New Hope and is one of the only Rebel Alliance pilots to appear in all three original trilogy films. Additionally, Wedge appeared in the animated Star Wars Rebels and various other novels set after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

The upcoming Resistance Reborn novel is set after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with one figure on the Spanish cover sparking theories that it was an older Wedge Antilles.

Over on Twitter, Rebel Force Radio claimed to have gotten confirmation that Lawson would be appearing in the film.

“We just received a solid ‘yes’ from a representative for the actor, Denis Lawson will be in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker reprising his role as Wedge Antilles,” the fan site shared on Twitter.

In the new novel, per the publisher’s website, “The Resistance is in ruins. In the wake of their harrowing escape from Crait, what was once an army has been reduced to a handful of wounded heroes. Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, Chewbacca, Leia Organa—their names are famous among the oppressed worlds they fight to liberate. But names can only get you so far, and Leia’s last desperate call for aid has gone unanswered.”

The upcoming film is set to conclude not only the sequel trilogy of films, but the entire Skywalker Saga that kicked off with A New Hope in 1977. Since this new trilogy began in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, former Rebels have popped up, such as Nien Nunb and Admiral Ackbar. It won’t come as too much of a surprise that Lawson would make his return, as he previously claimed Lucasfilm had already approached him about a role back in 2014.

“They asked me but it just would have bored me,” Lawson shared ahead of the release of The Force Awakens, according to The Courier.

It’s unclear what type of role Wedge would have served in that 2015 sequel, other than appearing amongst fellow Rebels, with the dwindling resources of the Resistance possibly allowing Wedge a larger role in the upcoming film, potentially offering him a more exciting opportunity.

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

Are you excited to see Wedge’s return? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!