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Rumored ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Plot Leaks [Spoilers]

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 10:21 PST, Apr 23, 2016

Star Wars: Episode VIII may be over a year away from release, but a purported description of the highly anticipated film’s plot has emerged online, echoing a similar event in the run-up to The Force Awakens.

[Potentially Major Spoilers Follow]

The leaked plot description emerged on Reddit several days ago, as BGR notes. It was posted by a user who claims to have read the film’s script, and curiously omits the movie’s ending. Though it has been marked as “debunked” since it was initially posted, it remains unclear who actually debunked the post. The plot summary is awash in spoilers, revealing several key details, as well as one or two major plot twists that, should they prove true, will no doubt be highly controversial among Star Wars fans.

As The Guardian notes, the summary claims that the tentative title for Episode VIII is Star Wars: Echoes Of The Dark Side. The production, which is currently underway at Pinewood Studios in England as well as several other locations, has been using the working title of Space Bear. That title was revealed by Carrie Fisher several months ago, as the Inquisitr noted at the time.

Whatever the true title of the film turns out to be, the Reddit leak claims that it will feature three separate story threads which will converge in the movie’s third act. Rey is apparently set to spend much of the first and second acts training with Luke Skywalker, while Leia works to hold together the remnants of the New Republic in the wake of the First Order’s devastating attack.

Benicio del Toro is set to feature as a dubious political leader, named in the leak as Lord Vikram, who functions as a dictator of sorts, overseeing the Republic and butting heads with Leia. Kelly Marie Tran, another newcomer to the Star Wars universe, will play a contact of Leia’s who also becomes a love interest for John Boyega’s Finn.

Several other characters from previous Star Wars films are apparently intended to return in Episode VIII as well, including Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who will confer with Luke as Force ghosts, alongside Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker. Under normal circumstances, the revelation that these characters may be reappearing onscreen would be major spoilers, but their inclusion pales in comparison to another plot point revealed in the leak. Pertaining to the nature of Rey’s parentage (one of the most hotly debated mysteries left over from The Force Awakens), this plot twist could potentially rival Vader’s iconic declaration to Luke, while almost certainly generating major controversy among fans.

The leak also suggests that fans will find out much of the backstory surrounding the destruction of Luke’s new Jedi order at the hands of Kylo Ren and Supreme leader Snoke. This will also tie in with Rey’s history, as apparently she was present when the order fell, before being left on Jakku by Luke.

In total, the leak claims that there are significant parallels between Episode VIII and The Empire Strikes Back, though not as strong as those between The Force Awakens and A New Hope. While its accuracy and veracity remain open questions, a similar leak did transpire ahead of the release of The Force Awakens, and that information turned out to be roughly 99 percent accurate. For now, however, Star Wars fans can check out the leak in full on Reddit, and ponder what Episode VIII will really look like when it hits theaters in December of 2017.

[Photo by Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images]

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