'Star Wars Episode VIII' release date, news and updates: J.J. Abrams commentary reveals what could have happened in 'Force Awakens'

The release of the Blu-ray edition of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" had a commentary track with J.J. Abrams talking about the movie and what happened behind the scenes. The track has since revealed some news about the characters and the production, and it may provide some hints on what to expect from "Star Wars Episode VIII." 

For one, the commentary clarified a lot of fan theories that fans erupted when the movie came out. Some were guessing that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) was keeping Vader's ashes in his quarters, but it has since been confirmed that those were actually the ashes of his fallen victims.

The movie was also supposed to open with the history of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber after it fell down the Bespin shaft in "The Empire Strikes Back." In the movie, the lightsaber was already in the possession of Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o). To this, Abrams said, "There are other ways we can tell that story later."

Abrams also commented on the choice to have Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) thrown down the trash compactor in the movie, and he said that it was a way to get rid of the character without killing her off and at the same time not complicating the plot further.

The commentary also said that Abrams already has a clear history in mind for the Knights of Ren, and that they will be featured more in the upcoming movie.

Other reports are also saying that Kylo Ren will be sporting a new look, and though he is wearing the same helmet, he will be wearing robes very similar to that of Vader from the original trilogy. It's even speculated that the cape that he will wear may in fact be an actual cape worn by Vader.

Kylo and the Knights of Ren will return in"Star Wars Episode VIII."