Star Wars Episode IX working title revealed

Star Wars The Last Jedi just dominated the box office, but already it’s time to start thinking about Episode IX, the final chapter in the current trilogy.

Star Wars films have a long history of using codenames, dating back to Return of the Jedi working under the title “Blue Harvest.” As the new films have gone into production Lucasfilm sets up new companies for each film, a not uncommon practice in film production, and then it is slowly revealed the “film” these companies are working on. For instance, Space Bear Industries (UK) Ltd produced “Space Bear,” which was, in fact, The Last Jedi. Lunak Heavy Industries produced “Los Alamos,” which turned into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Now Fantha Tracks reveals the latest company to set up shop is Carbonado Industries (UK) Ltd. This has led to the working title of Episode IX being “Black Diamond.”

As Wikipedia explains:

Carbonado, commonly known as the “black diamond“, is the toughest form of natural diamond. It is an impure form of polycrystalline diamond consisting of diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. It is found primarily in alluvial deposits in the Central African Republic and in Brazil. Its natural colour is black or dark grey, and it is more porous than other diamonds.

There are times where the working title gives you some clue to the plot of the film. In the case of Rogue One working under “Los Alamos,” that was where the first tests on the atom bomb were conducted, which seems fitting for a film about the launch of the Death Star. In the case of Black Diamond, this name pre-dates the change of directors from Colin Trevorrow to J. J. Abrams, so with the change in script, it is unlikely we can glean any information from the name.

Black Diamond has now been traced to early 2017 by Bleeding Cool, and with rumors that Abrams made his initial story pitch just last week to Disney executives, it’s easy to see there will be little no connection. You could say that Black Diamond makes sense as it’s the hardest form of naturally occurring diamond, or you could even say it connects to the concept of one of the toughest difficulties in Alpine skiing.

With Star Wars Episode IX pinned to a Dec. 20, 2019 release date, expect this to be just the first of many rumors we hear about the final film of the trilogy.