Star Wars: What did Finn want to tell Rey in Rise of Skywalker? JJ Abrams answers mystery

His response goes against what fans initially believed he was going to say

Star Wars director JJ Abrams has revealed what he believes to be the answer to one of The Rise of Skywalker‘s biggest mysteries.

One moment in the final chapter of the new trilogy sees the central group of heroes – including Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) – in mortal danger after finding themselves in quicksand.

Just before they’re fully sucked into the sands of Pasaana in what the characters believe are their final moments, Finn tells Rey he has something to tell her.

When it emerges that they’ve survived the incident, though, Finn shrugs his comment off, acting embarrassed.

During a post-screening Q&A, Abrams – who described the negative reviews of the film as “right” – said he believes Finn wanted to tell Rey that he was Force-sensitive.

This goes against the popular consensus, which was that Finn wanted to tell Rey he loved her.

Boyega himself disagreed with this theory, writing on Twitter: “No... Finn wasn’t going to say I love you before sinking.”

Abrams said that the moment was written so that it "could mean different things to different people”.

Since the film’s release last week, the film has divided critics and audiences, with some highlighting the film’s sense of adventure and others criticising it for its moments of fan-service.

Consequently, the film has a score of 57 per cent on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes – one of the lowest for any film in the long-running Star Wars franchise.

Find a list of every unexpected cameo in the film here.