Star Wars: Duel of the Fates
A complete Episode IX screenplay sent the saga toward Coruscant and a different ending before Lucasfilm replaced its director and story.
Quick facts
- Existence state
- Never Born
- Peak stage
- detailed preproduction
- Research confidence
- high
- Last verified
What it was
Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly's unproduced version of Star Wars Episode IX.
The writers developed multiple drafts, concept artists explored major sequences and Lucasfilm prepared the project as the trilogy's conclusion. It remained a screenplay-and-design production rather than a filmed feature.
Existence timeline
Trevorrow and Connolly begin shaping the trilogy finale.
A complete version titled Duel of the Fates is assembled.
Artists visualize Coruscant, characters and a different final battle.
Lucasfilm and Trevorrow end the collaboration.
Script details and concept art circulate and are confirmed.
Why it ended
Lucasfilm and Trevorrow parted ways in September 2017. J. J. Abrams returned with a different screenplay that became The Rise of Skywalker.
Last confirmed trace
A dated script, concept art and Trevorrow's confirmation preserve a detailed alternative ending.
What it left behind
The material became a rare mainstream example of audiences comparing a released blockbuster with a substantially developed path not taken.
Questions this archive answers
Why was Star Wars: Duel of the Fates cancelled?
Lucasfilm and Trevorrow parted ways in September 2017. J. J. Abrams returned with a different screenplay that became The Rise of Skywalker.
What survived from the cancelled Episode IX?
A dated script, concept art and Trevorrow's confirmation preserve a detailed alternative ending.
How we classified it
The proposed archive unit never reached ordinary public access in the form being documented.
The strongest verified milestone maps to detailed_preproduction under Arrival Score V1.
Sources & verification
Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the evidence directly.