Star Wars Episode IX director hints at Rey's identity

The Force Awakens may be still tearing up box office charts, but incoming director Colin Trevorrow is already dropping hints about what to expect from 2019's Episode IX.

Although there are three moreStar Wars movies to arrive before his -- Gareth Edwards' Rogue One this year, followed by Rian Johnson'sEpisode VIII in 2017 and the Young Han Solo film, currently untitled, for 2018 -- Trevorrow has the ultimate pressure of bringing this new trilogy to a close and answering a lot of questions.

One of the biggest mysteries posed by the latest Star Wars is the matter of new hero Rey's identity. Fans expecting the answer to be revealed inEpisode VIII may be in for an even longer wait though. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Trevorrow hints that the secret may not be revealed until his turn in the director's chair.

"We're going to make sure that that answer is deeply and profoundly satisfying," Trevorrow said. "Rey is a character that is important in this universe, not just in the context ofThe Force Awakens, but in the entire galaxy. She deserves it. We'll make sure that that answer is something that feels like it was something that happened a long time ago, far away, and we're just telling you what happened."

Fan theories on Rey's lineage range from the obvious -- Luke Skywalker's daughter -- to the more interesting. Fans have posited that she might be Obi Wan Kenobi's daughter or grandaughter, or Han and Leia's daughter, and Kylo Ren's sister, echoing Jacen and Jaina Solo from the discarded Expanded Universe. That last one requires Han and Leia to either be lying to, or simply not recognise their own daughter throughout Episode VII however.

Whoever Rey actually is, Trevorrow does hint that her father, at least is someone viewers have met. "What's interesting is I'm not creating a host of new characters," he said. "I have a lot of characters that people really love that we're going to make sure are all honored. No one's going to be left behind."

While also confirming Luke and Leia will have key roles to play going forward, Trevorrow says his film "is something that needs to honour a story that's been told over a period of 40 years. I don't want to ignore any of it, and I respect all of it. It's something I think the fan base is going to embrace."