Star Wars Episode 9 Features More Improvisation, Actor Says

Actor Oscar Isaac, who plays the brash pilot Poe Dameron in the Star Wars series, has shared some new insight on the upcoming Episode IX. Speaking to IndieWire, Isaac said director JJ Abrams, who also directed The Force Awakens, is giving the actors more freedom to improvise. Isaac described the shoots, at least the ones he's been involved with, as being "looser" than on The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens.

"The way they've been shooting it right now is looser than it's been for the last two times," Isaac said, adding that he was specifically talking about more improvisation. "It does feel like a relief to get on set and feel like, 'Oh, we can try things.' It's a testament to J.J. coming back and feeling confident. There's less pressure for it to be right. We just want to make a good movie and have a really good time while doing it."

Episode IX is due out in December 2019, and it's the third and final instalment in the new trilogy that began with The Force Awakens. A new trilogy of films directed by The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson will follow after that. Outside of the main series, additional standalone spinoffs are also expected.

Also in the IndieWire interview, Isaac addressed the negativity among some Star Wars fans about The Last Jedi. "Luckily, since I'm not directing it, producing it, or distributing it, I don't have to worry so much about fan expectations," he said. "Also, not all fans have the same expectations."

Isaac said he's observing a similar response to the new Star Wars movies as the prequel trilogy from George Lucas. "People had very strong feelings, but there wasn't as much of an organized way to speak out about it," he explained. "People that run blogs and websites need content. So it's like, 'There's some content!' Five people on Twitter. Hundreds. Whatever it is. Then you make it into a story."

In other news, Lost and Lord of the Rings actor Dominic Monaghan will play an unspecified role in Episode XI.