'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Was Apparently Being Edited on Set

J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the highly anticipated conclusion to both the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the Skywalker saga, is set to premiere this December, and increasingly more details about the film’s production have been trickling out of its set. Most recently, a surprising revelation about the film’s editing came to light: according to editor Maryann Brandon, it was being edited on set.

According to Collider, Brandon shared in an interview with Express that, due to time restrictions, much of the editing process was occurring on the set of the film. “I watched what they were shooting, I was cutting what they were shooting the day before… I had the DP right there to ask questions,” she said. “If I needed a shot, or if JJ decided we needed another shot, we would set up in a corner and get a green screen shot of something.”

Typically, an editor is not present during the shooting of a film, instead receiving dailies and beginning to plan and assemble footage from those bits. In this case, however, Brandon was present on set in order to ensure that any footage required could be shot immediately.

Brandon also served as editor on Abrams' The Force Awakens (and on all his productions since Alias), where she engaged in the usual editing process--but she said that this film’s production schedule was four months shorter, meaning that she needed to be there to ensure all the necessary shots were created.

While Collider wagers that this change will have little impact on the final product, considering Brandon’s close collaboration with Abrams, we’re still excited to see how it plays out on-screen--if anything, it could make for an even smoother cut and an even better film.