The entire plot ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkercamethiscloseto going to the highest bidder. While Lucasfilm keeps a tight lid on all thingsStar Wars, scripts forRise of Skywalkerwere printed out on supposedly un-copy-able paper so the film’s actors could take them home and study up for the next day’s scenes. But according toJ.J. Abrams, one, uh, somewhat careless actor left the genuine script behind, which then made its way to eBay.
Abrams—who co-wrote theRise of Skywalkerscript withChris Terrio—shared the story onGood Morning America, declining to reveal the actor he nearly murdered after the mishap:
“The security is insane. The company was really nervous about anything getting out, and so they had only a handful of scripts and they were printed on crazy un-copy-able paper, and then one of our actors—I’m not gonna say which one; I want to, but I won’t—left it under their bed, and it was found by someone who was cleaning their place. And it was given to someone else who then went to sell it on eBay, and someone at the company said, ‘You know there’s a script that looks like it’s a legit script that’s for sale on eBay’. They got it back before it sold.”
I wouldreallylove to have been a fly on the way for that conversation between Abrams and this unknown actor after discovering that one of the most closely-guarded films in history was nearly undone by mere carelessness. This wouldn’t have been the first time a script or major ending would have leaked before the film’s release, but given how seriously Disney values Lucasfilm and theStar Warsproperty, it would’ve been a big, big deal.
Luckily that didn’t happen, although I’m aware that some purported spoilers have made their way onto the internet. I’ve steered clear because what in the world is the point of reading plot points, devoid of context, before seeing a movie? you’re able to only seeRise of Skywalkerfor the first time once, so why not go in as unspoiled as possible? To each their own, I suppose.
For more onStar Wars, check outour extensive timelineofeverythingthat’s happened in the canonical universe thus far.
