J.J. Abrams Clarifies What Finn Wanted to Tell Rey in Rise of Skywalker

JJ Abrams clarifies what Finn wanted to tell Rey in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Despite being the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga, J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) left a few plot threads hanging in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, including a detail John Boyega’s Finn wanted to share with Daisy Ridley’s Rey, and now the co-writer/director has revealed what he wanted to tell her.

WARNING: Major Spoilers Lie Ahead for The Rise of Skywalker

I had the privilege of attending the Academy screening of #TheRiseOfSkywalker today and J.J. confirmed that what Finn wanted to tell Rey was that he’s force sensitive! pic.twitter.com/hxuDHhwL6N

— kaila ren (@ar1aster) December 21, 2019

Early in the film, when the main crew of Finn, Rey, Poe, Chewie, C-3P0 and R2-D2 head to Pasaana in search of a ship with clues to the whereabouts of Emperor Palpatine, they get caught up in sinking sand, and as it appears they are about to die in the sand Finn tries to tell Rey something before being swallowed up. After surfacing in an underground tunnel, Poe tries to get Finn to say what he wanted to tell her, which becomes a running joke through the film without a resolution for it, with audiences left to speculate on whether it was a declaration of his love for her or something more.

Abrams has instead revealed that what he wanted to tell her was that he can sense the Force itself, which is hinted at late in the film when Rey dies following her battle with Palpatine, during which Finn can be seen on the Falcon reacting with sadness at her passing despite not physically seeing it. This also brings back the joke made in The Force Awakens when Finn declares they can use the Force to find where Rey and the controls are on Starkiller Base and Han Solo argues that’s not how the power works.

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Returning cast members for The Rise of Skywalker include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast are Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings), and Keri Russell (The Americans), who will also be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian. The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In addition to directing, J.J. Abrams co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Terrio (Argo, Justice League). Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, and Abrams will produce, with Callum Greene and Jason McGatlin executive producing. Composer John Williams, who has scored every chapter in the Star Wars saga since 1977’s A New Hope, will return to a galaxy far, far away with Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is scheduled for release on December 20.