Rian Johnson on the Progress of ‘The Last Jedi’ and His Star Wars Experience

Empire magazine caught up with director Rian Johnson, who’s working tirelessly on the editing process for his upcoming big budget film — Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The writer-director shared a few answers about the current state of the project, the film’s influences and his small cameo appearance in the blockbuster smash hit ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’. Read on for more!

 

 

Empireonline has just posted a preview for their upcoming Empire magazine issue #332, on sale February 2017. After surprising fans with the “Episode VIII” title this week, director Rian Johnson sat down with Empire’s Ian Freer to talk about the film’s progress and other interesting bits fans may or may not have known. Here’s just a taste of what to expect….

 

Empireonline: How are things going on Episode VIII?

Rian Johnson: Great! We’re in the thick of editing, really digging into it. It’s taking shape and I’m very excited.

 

EO: Name three non-Star Wars films you watched in preparation.

RJ: Twelve O’Clock High was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots. Three Outlaw Samurai for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun. And To Catch A Thief was a great film to rewatch, for the romantic scale and grandeur.

 

 

EO: What are your memories of the first day of shooting?

RJ: Our first day of shooting was actually several months before principal photography began: we had three days on Skellig Michael island. So not only was it day one of Star Wars on this incredible natural location, but because the island was so inaccessible it was a very stripped-down, run-and-gun crew. Pretty much the perfect start to the whole adventure.

 

EO: What is the hardest thing about writing Star Wars dialogue?

RJ: I found myself constantly wanting to push modern idioms into the dialogue, and sometimes that can work, but you have to be very careful. If you go too far you can break that Star Wars spell. The other challenge is the tech talk, which has to be simultaneously complex enough to sound real and conceptually simple enough to follow. The original films were brilliant at that.

 

 

EO: You played Imperial Officer In Firing Chamber in Rogue One. What was that experience like?

RJ: It was so much fun. I was jealous of my producer Ram [Bergman] — he got to wear the full Daft Punk helmet. Also it was great because we knew we couldn’t get cut out of the movie! The ONE THING they absolutely have to do is fire the Death Star!

 

 

EO: What surprised you most about directing a Star Wars film?

RJ: I guess the biggest surprise was the intimacy of the process. It’s huge, sure, and it’s filled with pressures great and small. But at the end of the day, it boils down to the same things as the smaller films we’ve made: telling a story we care about with a camera and some actors. And a Wookiee.

 

 

May the force be with you….

 

 

+ posts

134 thoughts on “Rian Johnson on the Progress of ‘The Last Jedi’ and His Star Wars Experience

  • January 26, 2017 at 6:50 pm
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    Lots of great comments here. Its very interesting that he watched 3 classic films to prep. It’ll be interesting to see how they inspire the Last Jedi

    • January 26, 2017 at 7:37 pm
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      It would be a pretty bitter pill for fans to swallow that the guy who kills Han Solo is now the guy you have to root for in Episode 8 and 9. I don’t think Ben is redeemable. He had the choice of coming back to the light and chose to murder his own father. There is no going back.

      • January 26, 2017 at 7:41 pm
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        People don’t make only 1 choice in life,and that’s it,if people can’t accept that he killed Han,and possibility to coming back to light,than it is big chance they will hate sequels. Vader did much worse things than Kylo, and he redeemed himself. I will accept any story they want to tell,as long it is a good movie,and it makes sense. I can see Kylo stay on The Dark Side, ir Back to Light,same as before TFA we didn’t know is Luke evil,or good guy. I would accept anything,as long it is good and emotional story

        • January 26, 2017 at 8:27 pm
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          There is HUGE difference between killing a bunch of unnamed younglings and Rebel Troopers than killing the off one if not THE most popular characters in the entire Star Wars history. It makes him unredeamable. Why would Luke ever be evil, nobody with half a brain would ever think that, even before seeing TFA. Luke was willing to sacrifice him own life to not turn to the darkside in ROTJ. It would be so out of character for him, as it would now be out of character for Kylo to now just turn to the light. The act of killing Han was his ascension to the darkside. He was no longer struggling with the light at that point. This is just my opinion of course.

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:32 pm
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            Of course there is huge difference between killing younglings and Han. Killing younglings is the most evil thing to do, but to kill Han, that was hard for audience. It’s like in reality, imagine someone kills one of our favorite actors, we would cry, but when we hear on the news someone killed a bunch of kids in school, that’s was more evil thing to do,but we wouldn’t cry,because we didn’t have any connection with those kids, even we would be sad. That’s like Han/Younglings situation. In the movie killing younglings is was more evil, but for audience,we didn’t care for them,but we did for Han

          • January 26, 2017 at 10:59 pm
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            Our real world thoughts and emotions about han should have nothing to do with a fictional universe. What’s best for the story should be their only concern.

          • January 26, 2017 at 11:15 pm
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            Take away how fans feel about Han and his death, but you factor in that Kylo killed his own father. That in itself is so tragic, and such a powerful choice. There is no coming back from that. He chose darkness. There is no redemption for him. Anakin chose darkness because he wanted to save his family and once he thought they were all dead he was going to stay dark. It wasn’t until he realized he had a son that he didn’t have to be this evil person and even then it took his son being on the brink of death to bring him back. The saga films are a family story and Kylo essentially killed his, If there is a person that could possibly save him its his mother, but that isn’t a certainty at all since he couldn’t forgive his father, (see lightsaber; through the chest with a) what makes his connection to Leia so special?

          • January 27, 2017 at 2:20 am
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            What if Rey is his sister or cousin? Would that not be a reason to see the light that we are already told his wrestles with? She as the future most powerful Jedi redeems him and they together restart Luke’s academy for instance, or masybe she sacrifices herself for him and he goes on to honour his father, mother and Luke by restoring the Jedi rather than Rey. There all sorts of possibilities that can carry dramatic weight.

            I think the problem here is that you’ve made your mind up and you’re digging your heels in. But in reality both outcomes are entirely possible.

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:53 am
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            If I were a gambling man, I’d go with Drew. If he’s digging his heels in, you’re neck deep.

            What you’re failing to understand is that even if Ben were to switch back to the light side, join Rey, start up another Jedi Academy, donate to charity, raise a bunch of Jedi, build some poor folks a house, and live a happy and peaceful life, the general audience would still hate his guts. It doesn’t matter if Rey thinks he’s turned over a new leaf. It doesn’t matter of Ackbar and Nien Nunb think he’s a swell guy. He stuck a lightsaber through the heart of Han Solo, so he’s pretty much forever on the S$%^ list.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:16 am
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            Well, if they don’t exactly what you’re saying then what excuse will you offer up?

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:37 am
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            I’m not sure what you’re asking. That question doesn’t make sense.

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:46 am
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            That makes no sense. Movies are made to manipulate our emotions. If they don’t, then they’re bad movies. Did you get a thrill out of seeing Luke and Leia again? If so, that’s them pesky “real world thoughts and emotions” coming into play. I hated seeing Han die. Like a lot of us here, he’s been a hero for my entire life. But it was absolutely good for the story. Completely dismissing how an audience would react to certain decisions is a recipe for storytelling disaster. When the decision was made to have Han killed, Abrams knew what the audience’s reaction would be. And he did it for a reason. To assume otherwise betrays an incredible lack of imagination.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:44 am
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            yes, movies tell us what to feel, but we don’t get to tell the movie how to make us feel. thats not how art works and to do otherwise would hurt the form. i know we want it all the way we see it in our heads, but its not our money or franchise and sometimes i think we forget that.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:41 am
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            We are also the real world people paying money to see these movies. There has to be some sort of payoff.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:47 pm
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            That’s partly why they had him kill Han. To make sure we saw this was an evil person.

          • January 27, 2017 at 6:19 pm
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            absolutely. but the idea that he can’t come back because we as fans love the character of han solo so much is a tad ridiculous.

          • January 27, 2017 at 9:19 pm
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            Agreed. I don’t think that’s where they are going with this, but it can still be done.

          • January 27, 2017 at 2:16 am
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            Most popular, but Han was never that essential to the mythos. It was never his story, it was the Skywalker story. In fact, TFA gave him more of a role in the mythos than any of the OT films put together.

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:56 am
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            Doesn’t matter. It’s Han Solo. Regardless of who he’s “related” to, he’s one of the Big 3. And if you don’t see Han as integral to the very fabric of Star Wars, then you’re either 14 or you have a really tenuous grasp on this franchise.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:12 am
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            Sorry, but he’s simply not. Not like Leia and Luke are. At least not before TFA. The films are about the Skywalker family and the fall/rise of the Jedi. If anything, in the context of the story, he’s just a passenger along for the ride, much like Chewie. You are confusing the popularity of the character and his screentime with what he actually does in the saga. He was one of the “big three” for that reason, not because he was essentially to the Skywalker story in the OT. Hell, even Harrison Ford himself has said there isn’t a huge amount to the character, which is why he was reluctant to come back for ROTJ and wanted Han killed (and his character to mean something).

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:48 am
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            “t makes him unredeemable.”

            You’re absolutely right. People need to look at this a bit more existentially. Movies are made for people. Assuming that writers are making decisions that don’t take into consideration audience passions and emotions don’t seem to really understand the artistic process of storytelling.

        • January 26, 2017 at 8:30 pm
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          From an earlier post I made on the same subject:

          “I don’t think we should see Ben redeemed. Darth Vader/Anakin was redeemed, but I think that needs to remain an anomaly. It gives what Luke did for his father some serious gravitas; not simply the first of many instances where a bad guy was convinced to ditch his evil ways and change sides.

          I’ve said it before, but killing Han was critical in the creation of this villain. As an audience, we have to take Kylo Ren seriously. Since it would have come off really, really hokey if they had attempted to outdo Vader in terms of a threatening and powerful villain, they came up with a character who essentially wants to be Vader, but is painfully aware that he falls far short of that mark. Abrams cheated here, and it worked out wonderfully. That being said, the movie still needs a villain who is going to be taken seriously; both by the characters and by the audience. So, taking this guy seriously is best done through having him do something extraordinary despicable. Destroying a planet doesn’t work by itself. We don’t “know” anyone on that planet. Killing Solo sure fits that bill. That’s something that we’re not likely to forgive, even if the movie’s characters find it in themselves to do so. As a bad guy, he’s certainly got our attention now.

          Also, if Ben were to be redeemed, what would you do with the character? He’s still guilty of taking the lives of an untold number of beings. The redemption of Vader was handled by having him die almost immediately afterward. What to do with him?

          And again, he killed Han Solo. Even if in the story he was able to be forgiven and accepted, I don’t think the audience could every really do that. We can accept Vader’s redemption because he didn’t kill anyone that we were intimately connected to. Yeah, he killed Kenobi, but that was different. Ben killed Han Solo. Han Solo! After that, it’s wishful thinking to assume that an audience can authentically embrace him as a good guy.”

          • January 27, 2017 at 2:14 am
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            Vader basically effectively killed he wife, countless Jedi and his best friend and mentor. The only reason you don’t see it the same way is that when you were a kid most of this was off screen.

            I think you over estimate the importance of Han and his death in the grand scheme of things. Leia’s talk of there being light in him and Ben’s own struggles in the movie clearly leave threads for redemption. Whether you personally accept that doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t do it.

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:40 am
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            It’s not the same. Not by a long shot. First off, Vader’s redemption came well before most of that stuff had been written. We were told that Vader helped to wipe out the Jedi, but we didn’t actually see any of that. The same goes for Padme. And sure, Vader killed his sure of soldiers and all that, but none of them were characters the audience really had much attachment to. If you’re not looking at this in context, you’re not really looking at it at all.

            But in The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren kills a character that has been central to the Star Wars mythos since its inception. I mean, it’s Han-frickin-Solo. You’re way off the mark if you think that Han’s death is along the same lines as anything that Vader did. Sure, Vader did an insane amount of evil…total bad guy…we all get that. But Kylo Ren killed off one of the Big 3. At that point, it became pretty clear that this fella was in it for keeps.

      • January 26, 2017 at 8:02 pm
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        I’d agree with you here. Moving from the light to the dark or the dark to thel light has less weight if it can be done quickly. Good points!

      • January 26, 2017 at 8:31 pm
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        I’m with you. It doesn’t matter how much damage Vader did. Ben killed Han Solo. For the audience, that’s it, end of story.

      • January 27, 2017 at 12:39 am
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        I totally understand that, but I’m on the side of the coin that still got weirded out that Vader slaughtered countless jedi and then in the end everyone was just smiling. So if they can redeem vader, why can’t they redeem a kid who killed less jedi and a smuggler/general?

        • January 27, 2017 at 2:10 am
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          And who, we are to believe, is still struggling with the light in him.

        • January 27, 2017 at 3:31 am
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          Because it’s been done before.

      • January 27, 2017 at 2:09 am
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        I tend to agree that this is likely where it’s heading. But a the same time Vader slaughtered many, including Obi-Wan, his old friend.

      • January 27, 2017 at 6:40 pm
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        I don’t think that they will go that route. Though I personally think Anakin killing the women and children was about as bad as you get. I don’t think when you hit this level of evil, comparing evils as one more than the other really doesn’t matter. People make bad life choices all the time thinking their doing something to improve themselves. To me if Anakin was redeemed, Ben can to, just don’t think that is the case this time.

    • January 26, 2017 at 7:45 pm
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      I think you couldn’t be more wrong, honestly.

      Kylo Ren’s journey to becoming a villain was half of the point of TFA. He and Rey are on parallel tracks, moving in the opposite direction.

      • January 26, 2017 at 7:46 pm
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        If we judge only by seeing TFA, it’s 100% true, but you never know what sequel movies offer, and I will have open mind for everythig

        • January 26, 2017 at 8:22 pm
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          It’s not really about an open mind: It’s about surveying past evidence and the current film arc begun in Ep. VII – AKA Inductive Reasoning. Kylo Ren has “0” chance for redemption, and evidence suggests Luke as the Last Jedi, b/c the time spent (following the failure of Jedi Order v2) in isolation will make him reflect on the inherent flaws of that Order’s structure….rigid, inflexible. Can’t be a mster of the Force if you don’t understand & study it holistically. The Jedi doctrine is self-defeating: You can’t plug your ears every time someone brings up the dark side – ya kinda need to actually STUDY it…the Mortis arc of Clone Wars series is a great primer

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:26 pm
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            Kylo is not completely on Dark Side in TFA, he struggled to kill Han or not. Who knows, he might want to kill him to get closer to Snoke. Never know what ep 8 and 9 could bring in his storyline. I’m in 50/50 that he comes back or not

          • January 26, 2017 at 9:13 pm
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            No. No. No. By the end of TFA he is 100% dark. Killing pops put him over the edge. The final scene before Han gets done in is him purging the light. It’s not really open to conjecture. No ‘alternate facts’ please…

            Kylo Ren: I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?
            Han Solo: Yes. Anything.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:47 pm
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            But he still killed him. Sure, he hesitated, but he still offed his father.

          • January 28, 2017 at 7:39 am
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            But his hesitation shows that there might still be chance.

          • January 29, 2017 at 5:30 am
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            There might be

        • January 26, 2017 at 8:29 pm
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          True, but that’s all we have. The rest is speculation and there is a definite arc for Kylo becoming a villain here. Anything else is wishful thinking at this juncture.

        • January 27, 2017 at 3:30 am
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          But we’ve already had a redemption story.

    • January 26, 2017 at 8:34 pm
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      Nah. That was what the Classic Trilogy was about. I think we’ll find that we’re going in an entirely different direction with this one.

      • January 27, 2017 at 2:07 am
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        Yes, Force Awakens was clear proof of an entirely different direction.

        • January 27, 2017 at 3:59 am
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          It was.

    • January 26, 2017 at 8:34 pm
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      I hope not, otherwise its a new version of Anakin’s story…..though if this is the angle, his redemption will be in rumoured episodes 10-12.

      Also Ben/Kylo isn’t the last Skywalker. Luke is still around……

      • January 27, 2017 at 2:06 am
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        His little graphic has Luke as a force ghost.

        • January 27, 2017 at 8:20 pm
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          Yeah I know, but that’s his expectation. There is no evidence Luke will die in VIII.

    • January 27, 2017 at 12:48 am
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      I respectfully disagree. Why is SW the only franchise where villains turn into goodies? Voldemort died a bad guy at the end, so did Agent Smith, Saruman, Sauron, Khan (both the good movie and JJ’s), Hans Gruber, etc. I say let him die a villain

      • January 27, 2017 at 2:05 am
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        “both the good movie and JJ’s”

        Ha ha ha ha. Nice.

    • January 27, 2017 at 3:30 am
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      It’s an optimistic view. The title of the movie is “The Last Jedi”.

      Who do you think they’re referring to? Luke, Rey, or both?

      Lucas Film has been pushing alternative force users outside Jedi/Sith box since they started producing new content.

      It very well could be that Luke and Ben die, and with them the Jedi Order. Rey may be the first of something new.

      • January 28, 2017 at 2:57 am
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        even before disney they pushing that not a sith or jedi idea on clone wars, i hope they go for it.

    • January 27, 2017 at 10:48 am
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      Killing Han Solo is pretty unforgiveable. Yeah, Vader did kill the kids but they were basically extras and he also killed Obi-Wan but he willingly sacrificed himself. Han was straight up murdered in cold blood though.

  • January 26, 2017 at 6:52 pm
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    What I am really excited about potentially in this new film is the romance brought back into modern Star Wars, something very much lacking in TFA and RO.

  • January 26, 2017 at 7:30 pm
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    I know this is just an excerpt from the full article, but there was no mention of whether they were making any changes to TLJ due to Carrie Fisher’s death. I hope they address that in the full article.

    • January 26, 2017 at 7:34 pm
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      I think they said they don’t want to change episode 8,cause priority is a good movie,after episode 8,they will deal with episode 9 problems,and they said CGI Carrie is not in their plan,so they will probably just recast her,so they don’t even need to change episode 9 script at all

      • January 26, 2017 at 8:30 pm
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        They might simple dial down Leia’s part and make subtle changes, with a recasting. Time will tell

        • January 26, 2017 at 10:25 pm
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          The whole emotional arc is ruined if it’s a new actress after 40 years.

          • January 27, 2017 at 4:46 pm
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            I don’t think so. Not for me, anyway

    • January 26, 2017 at 7:35 pm
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      Why would they change the film now while its deep in the editing stage? I think they have a story they want to tell and its Garth Edwards problem in Episode 9 to deal with whether it is recasting or changing the outlook for the character.

      • January 26, 2017 at 7:36 pm
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        It’s actually Colin Trevorrov

        • January 26, 2017 at 7:40 pm
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          My B!

          • January 26, 2017 at 7:41 pm
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            No big deal

        • January 27, 2017 at 3:16 am
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          It’s actually Colin Trevorrow. 🙂

      • January 26, 2017 at 7:42 pm
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        Because her survival to 9 cannot happen unless the role is recast. If she will die, she has to die in 8, because there is nothing to work with for her to be in 9, unless another actress fills the role.

        • January 26, 2017 at 7:43 pm
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          Not strictly true.

          • January 26, 2017 at 7:52 pm
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            Explain then how Leia is in 9 without recasting or CG.

          • January 26, 2017 at 7:53 pm
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            They said it after her passing away, and no CGI,so she will probably be recasted

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:01 pm
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            Trevorrow said it well before she passed. What source do you have that said it after she passed?

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:04 pm
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            2 days after her death Disney announced: ”We usually don’t do these kind of stuff after people’s passing, but we want to say that there are no plans for CGI Leia” That news was freaking everywhere

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:23 pm
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            Great. That has nothing to do with her being in Episode 9 or not.

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:28 pm
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            I don’t get your argument with Crixxxx, who said:

            “Because her survival to 9 cannot happen unless the role is recast. If she will die, she has to die in 8, because there is nothing to work with for her to be in 9, unless another actress fills the role”

            There was speculation at the time that VIII might have to change due to Carrie’s passing, unless her role was recast or CGI was used. Yes CGI is now not an option, but that’s not what’s Crixxxx is going on about.

          • January 26, 2017 at 10:24 pm
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            Unless they somehow spread her scenes in Ep8 to Ep 9 too.

          • January 26, 2017 at 11:37 pm
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            That would be cool I must admit, if at all possible. Personally I would rather Leia was killed in action off screen than have another actor replace Carrier.

          • January 27, 2017 at 2:01 am
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            Recast.

            Recasted is not a word.

          • January 26, 2017 at 8:28 pm
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            “If she will die, she has to die in 8,”

            She can also die in 9. That’s the statement I said was not exactly true.

        • January 26, 2017 at 7:44 pm
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          They already confirmed she has big role in ep9

          • January 26, 2017 at 7:51 pm
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            Before Carrie’s passing

          • January 26, 2017 at 10:23 pm
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            Citation of official source on that, please?

          • January 27, 2017 at 3:12 am
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            Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Colin Treverow (sp) himself said he was wanting to have her in a bigger role in ep 9. I don’t have a ‘peer reviewed article’ to prove it, but most of us who keep up with this stuff know her role was to be expanded based on previous information. Not to be ugly on you Kicker2, (honestly, I’m not) but comment sections of fan sites rarely are going to provide citations of official sources.

          • January 27, 2017 at 5:36 am
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            “Insiders” said it. Ok.

        • January 26, 2017 at 8:46 pm
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          I think that is what they are doing. Recasting isn’t the end of the world.

        • January 27, 2017 at 2:00 am
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          She could pass off screen, or after perhaps some used footage from Eps 7 and 8.

    • January 26, 2017 at 7:43 pm
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      They aren’t going to address that until the movie is out, I imagine.

  • January 26, 2017 at 8:49 pm
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    One question Empire, just one fucking question you had to ask him!

    When will the trailer drop?

    • January 26, 2017 at 11:17 pm
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      Why ask a question you know won’t be answered? lol Just assume it will be April 13th.

      • January 26, 2017 at 11:26 pm
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        If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

    • January 27, 2017 at 12:37 am
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      Assume celebration, if not, it’s a surprise, which is just as good!

    • January 27, 2017 at 3:06 pm
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      He wouldn’t have answered

      • January 27, 2017 at 9:03 pm
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        You’re most likely right, but you still ask, and document his response.

        • January 27, 2017 at 9:18 pm
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          Or you don’t waste your small amount of time with something you know won’t be answered and ask something else.

          • January 27, 2017 at 10:21 pm
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            Ask question: 10 seconds
            Response: 20 seconds

            A half-minute of interview time.

  • January 26, 2017 at 11:00 pm
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    What are the photos of?

    Also, putting modern/contemporary dialogue in doesn’t work so great as Finn proved in TFA.

    • January 26, 2017 at 11:03 pm
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      You didn’t like his Will Smith impression? 😉

    • January 27, 2017 at 12:20 am
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      Oh yeah, because “hell” is such a modern word. Believe it or not, you’re in the minority on this.

      • January 27, 2017 at 1:48 am
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        Hell isn’t a modern word, but the question you should ask is do abrahamic religions fit in the star wars universe?

        • January 27, 2017 at 1:58 am
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          I think he means the use of the word. Plus there is no reason to believe there is no hell concept in the SW universe. Doesn’t have to be a part of an earth religion (which, let’s face it, are equally as much fantasy as SW).

        • January 27, 2017 at 6:07 am
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          Maybe the question you should ask is “does a language stemming from LATIN exist in the Star wars world?” Want to know the answer?

          STOP. OVERTHINKING. IT.

      • January 27, 2017 at 9:58 pm
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        Uh oh,here comes the SW police again.
        Hell was even used by Han Solo in ESB – “then I’ll see you in Hell” – so I’m not sure where you decided the contemporary dialogue was referring to Hell, but in any case I’m glad you’ve decided that I’m in the minority (not that it matters). I would also argue that no one is gung ho about the contemporary dialogue… most people just seem indifferent to it. Now, I would say some of the dialogue from Finn works (“you got a cute boyfriend?” comes to mind), but a lot of it is too modern and the delivery is off compared to every other SW character. So yeah, it didn’t quite click. But thanks for playing.

        • January 28, 2017 at 6:45 am
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          Believe it or not, boyfriends exist in Star Wars. Han Solo was one of them. But thanks for playing, pretentious jerk.

          Sheesh.

          • January 30, 2017 at 5:13 pm
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            Ummm… what? Who said anything about boyfriend’s not existing.

    • January 27, 2017 at 12:36 am
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      I always thought it was a little weird when Han says “I’ll see you in hell!” in the Empire Strikes Back. I think there’s also a “penny for your thoughts” moment in Clone wars (animated). People have to pay attention to common phrases XD

      • January 27, 2017 at 3:33 am
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        that used to bother me, but I think hell is a concept that transverses many religions. I suppose there’s no reason there wouldn’t be a version of it a galaxy far, far away. Actually it always used to bother me more that seemingly everyone could understand what R2-D2 is saying. I think it’s best to just not think too much when watching adventure movies.

      • January 27, 2017 at 5:49 am
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        The hell reference always seemed out of place for me too.

      • January 27, 2017 at 6:35 am
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        Never bothered me. What about Owen saying there’ll be hell to pay?

        • January 27, 2017 at 10:36 am
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          What the hell are you doing? Said as Leia blasts the garbage vent.

      • January 27, 2017 at 10:37 am
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        Hey them speaking English at all being Human is it no different.

      • January 27, 2017 at 3:06 pm
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        I’m sure the galaxy far far away has a concept of heaven and hell.

        • January 28, 2017 at 12:16 am
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          This is true, I just kind of wished they had some fancy name for it, but then again people would be super confused if he yelled out “I’ll see you in Keeree!” or some other weird thing XD

    • January 27, 2017 at 1:25 am
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      I loved finn. I don’t know what universe you’re on but people loved Finn and the Force awakens

      • January 27, 2017 at 1:46 am
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        Droid please! He was a hair away from referencing twitter and star bucks. Not his falt, i think JJ more than Kasdan was to blame.

        • January 27, 2017 at 3:30 am
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          Strangely ‘droid, please.’ didn’t bother me. Yet in the same scene him asking Rey ‘have you got a cute boyfriend?’ did. It just sounded very earth-like to me. But, we can all pick parts from any movie that we might not like.

        • January 28, 2017 at 7:33 am
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          Because asking a droid help is SO un-Star Wars.

          Yeah….

      • January 27, 2017 at 3:26 am
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        The above poster is blocked for me, which means it must be @whendonslisp.

        He’s a d-bag. Don’t even bother.

        • January 27, 2017 at 10:01 pm
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          Someone’s bitter about getting defeated time and time again on here.

      • January 27, 2017 at 10:00 pm
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        Did I say anything about people not loving Finn or Force Awakens.

  • January 26, 2017 at 11:00 pm
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    Dogfights, sword fights and romance? Sounds like a winning combination.

    • January 27, 2017 at 12:20 am
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      Finn + Poe.

      That is all.

    • January 27, 2017 at 1:23 am
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      It really is. And great movies, Rian chose. As a classic film buff, it pleases me he chose those as inspiration. As such, expect some epic dogfights. Overall, I’m hoping the sword-fights, Rian can do something creative with them.

      Whether or not you like the Lightsaber fighting in the OT and PT, they both had distinctive styles. I’m hoping we honestly see a bit more strategy in these fights, or have the fights reveal characters. For instance, I can picture Rey being a big gung-ho against Kylo. But maybe, Kylo has tempered himself and gotten calmer.

      Also, some Force powers in conjunction with Lightsaber skills would be nice. Don’t go all Force Unleashed, but don’t neglect it. For instance, manipulating the environment with TK. Or maybe, Kylo has Force drain/fear that affects everyone, while Luke has healing and battle mediation?

      Or perhaps, another cool ability. Maybe, Rey has Clarisistence? The ability to use the Force to see the history of objects. I’m biased as I love that ability from Qunlin Vos, but overall explore the Force.

      It is a ubiquitous ability after all.

  • January 26, 2017 at 11:06 pm
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    I dislike JJ’s directing style so much that i am so pumped for E8, I think it will begin to make things right. Only thing is it will be full of sadness because of CF.

  • January 26, 2017 at 11:22 pm
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    Three Outlaw Samurai has a bunch of group sword fights….. I am sure hoping to see some Knights of Ren! Wouldn’t be surprised if they are in the first scene Kylo Ren is in. He probably Heads back to either Snoke, where the knights are, or maybe Vader’s castle.. idk!

  • January 27, 2017 at 1:19 am
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    This has be so pumped. Twelve’O Clock High, Three Outlaw Samurai; all those movies Rian named are amazing. I’ll admit; I do love classic movies. And given how SWs was made by George Lucas, a film buff who took a lot of inspiration from old movies and myths(heck, the opening crawl is something out a serial), to hear how Rian hasn’t forgotten about that part pleases me.

    I also urge everyone to check out those movies as they are good. But the thing that got me most excited was the dialogue. Thank goodness, he recognized the importance of dialogue.

    I hate to sound negative, but my big issue with TFA was the dialogue. Not the line deliver or the actors. The actors were amazing. But it felt too modern. If you go back and watch the OT, there was a sense of elegance to the dialogue; a more formalized way of speaking. Even, Han had this display.

    And yeah, there are stupid lines, but really those are fine because of the sense of charm. If Rian can capture that aspect, we’re in good hands. Because, all these actors are talented. And Rian, can coax some terrific performances. He made Bruce Willis, an actor who I feel like has declined over the years, do something amazing in Looper.

    Overall, I cannot wait to see this movie.

    • January 27, 2017 at 1:53 am
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      “If you go back and watch the OT, there was a sense of elegance to the
      dialogue; a more formalized way of speaking. Even, Han had this display.”

      “You can type this shit George, but you can’t say it” – Harrison Ford.

  • January 27, 2017 at 10:46 am
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    I have one wish for this film that can come true is that Abram’s title as executive producer won’t drag it down like it did in Star Trek Beyond. I’m not sure how much influence he has over this film if any but the less the better. More R1 and less TFA.

    • January 27, 2017 at 10:46 am
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      Also, I think this is the first SW in history where a major cast member has died before it was released.

      • February 1, 2017 at 5:45 am
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        you think?

    • January 27, 2017 at 9:53 pm
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      JJ was busy with TFA while beyond was being made. You should send any issues you had to Simon pegg or Justin Lin. It was their baby.

      • January 29, 2017 at 9:28 pm
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        Like Lucas he has a tenous relationship with the truth and you can see his influence in everything he produces whether he directed it or not. But even if that is true, It does not surprise me either as I care even less for their works than his. Thet could have done something different and somehow brought the franchise to it’s knees instead worse than Shatner did in 1989.

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