LOS ANGELES (AP) – Stormtroopers marched and Chewbacca stepped out of a black sport utility vehicle to cheers as “Star Wars” made its triumphant return Monday for the world premiere of its latest installment, “The Rise of Skywalker.”
Fans formed a living tribute to the franchise alongside the blue carpet on Hollywood Boulevard where series stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and others would arrive. Fans dressed as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia dotted the crowd, eagerly awaiting the event’s start among an assortment of Stormtroopers, bounty hunters and an imposing Darth Vader.
The premiere will be the first time anyone outside a select group will see the ninth film in the core “Star Wars” story. “Rise of Skywalker” arrives in theaters Friday. Attendees had a chance to walk past an exhibit lined with numerous photos from previous films including a portrait with the late Carrie Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd, another photo with Mark Hamill hugging Fisher and several Stormtrooper uniforms.
Fans cheered the early arrivals, which included the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, a two-column march of Stormtroopers and Billy Dee Williams, Richard E. Grant and Ian McDiarmid.
Few films have captured the popular imagination like 1977’s “Star Wars,” which has sparked three film trilogies, TV shows, toys and more. “The Rise of Skywalker” is one of the year’s most-anticipated releases, in part because filmmakers have promised a conclusion to the story of the Skywalker clan that includes Luke, Leia and their father Anakin, who became Darth Vader.