Rian Johnson Discusses His Creative Control and What “The Last Jedi” Means

Taking a breather from sound editing at Skywalker Ranch, The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson sat down with The New York Times to discuss how he got the gig, his creative control throughout making the film, and his approach to continuing the story laid out by The Force Awakens, and what “The Last Jedi” means! 

 

 

In speaking with David Itzkoff of The New York TimesRian Johnson talks about how he got the job as writer/director for The Last Jedi after almost turning it down, to Kathleen Kennedy’s surprise:

 

It was really, really out of the blue. I had a few general meetings with Kathy Kennedy when she took over Lucasfilm. I never thought I was actually in the running, because I assumed every director on the planet would want to be doing a “Star Wars” movie. And then it was sprung on me. It was like a bomb dropped. I suddenly realized, Oh, this meeting is about this. I didn’t try to hide the fact that I was freaking out. But I also said, “Can I think about it?”

 

 

She was slightly confused, I think. The next few days, I couldn’t sleep. I thought I was going to do a pros-and-cons list, but the truth is, it was more a decision from the heart. There was no way I could not do this.

 

 

CREATIVE CONTROL

 

The stigma surrounding Lucasfilm post-Disney’s purchase is that the suits and Kennedy have their foot on the writers/directors heads. Rian Johnson has staunchly said that assumption could not be further from the truth, and he fortifies that further here:

 

I had figured there would be a big map on the wall with the whole story laid out, and it was not that at all. I was basically given the script for “Episode VII;” I got to watch dailies of what J. J. was doing. And it was like, where do we go from here? That was awesome.

 

 

When asked if he was required to include any specific plot-points or end-game, Johnson once again dismissed it:

 

Nothing like that. But it’s the second film in a trilogy. The first film got these characters here. This second movie has to dig into and challenge these characters. I wanted this to be a satisfying experience unto itself. I didn’t want it to end with a dot, dot, dot, question mark.

 

 

After reviewing raw-footage from The Force Awakens in preparation for writing The Last Jedi, what he noticed about Rey/Kylo, and that Kylo Ren was clearly not another Darth Vader:

 

Rey and Kylo are almost two halves of our protagonist. It’s not like Kylo is our Vader. In the original trilogy, Vader is the father — he’s the one you’re afraid of and who you want the approval of. Whereas Kylo represents anger and rebellion, the sometimes healthy — and sometimes not — desire to disconnect from the parents. It’s my favorite kind of quote-unquote bad guy, because you can genuinely see what their weakness is.

 

 

REY’S PARENTAGE

 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Johnson lightly poke that Rey’s parentage is less important in terms of who they are, but who Rey is now going forward with her past experiences and beyond:

 

If I had questions — what did you think this was going to be? What were your ideas for this? — I could always ask him. But those questions only address what these characters want and how they get there.

Take the question of who Rey’s parents are: If you get the information — oh, it’s that! — who really cares? I know a lot of people care, but it’s interesting as opposed to impactful. Now, what is my place in the world? Where do I come from? Where do I belong? O.K., I understand what the weight of that is. We could play with those questions and their answers to have the biggest emotional impact on these characters.

 

 

LUKE AND LEIA

 

Growing up with Luke Skywalker as a hero to him, Johnson knew how to channel into who Luke is, and what decisions have brought him to this point in The Last Jedi:

 

That was the first thing I had to figure out. Why is Luke on that island? And I didn’t have any answers. But it’s not like you can just pick anything you want out of the air. I grew up having a sense of who Luke Skywalker is. It guides you to a very specific path. I know he’s not hiding on the island. I know he’s not a coward. He must be there for a reason that he believes in. You’re finding a path forward, but there end up being fewer choices than you think.

 

 

On Carrie Fisher’s passing, and confirming that they changed nothing about her performance after her passing:

 

When she passed away, we were pretty deep into postproduction. When we came back to the edit room after New Year’s, it was so hard. We went through all her scenes. I felt very strongly that we don’t try to change her performance. We don’t adjust what happens to her in this movie. Emotionally, you can’t help recontextualize it, now that she’s gone. It’s almost eerie how there are scenes that have an emotional resonance and a meaning, especially now. She gives a beautiful and complete performance in this film.

 

 

THE LAST JEDI 

 

Many people have tried to decode the title of the film. It can’t be simple, that’d be too easy!! Well, the truth is, it is that simple. Star Wars titles were never meant to be cryptic (Phantom Menace aside). The Empire did strike back, The Jedi did return, and guess what Luke Skywalker is the last Jedi:

 

It’s in the opening crawl of “The Force Awakens.” Luke Skywalker, right now, is the last Jedi. There’s always wiggle room in these movies — everything is from a certain point of view — but coming into our story, he is the actual last of the Jedi. And he’s removed himself and is alone on this island, for reasons unknown.

 

 

Did Luke Skywalker really say it’s time for the Jedi to end???

 

That’s him. It sounds pretty dire. That’s something that we’re definitely going to dig into. The heart of the movie is Luke and Rey. It follows all the other characters, but its real essence is the development of the two of them. And it’s absolutely tied up in that question of, What is Luke’s attitude toward the Jedi?

 

Johnson proceeded to joke that Snoke is Jar Jar and Han is coming back as a ghost, and we welcome it, because levity is always a good thing!

 

The Last Jedi is three months away! We look forward to seeing the boy who grew up loving Star Wars as much as we did bring his vision to the saga!

 

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.”

You can find me on Twitter @JohnnyHoey

 

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John Hoey is the Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net and the host of The Resistance Broadcast podcast

"For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."

John Hoey

John Hoey is the Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net and the host of The Resistance Broadcast podcast"For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."

95 thoughts on “Rian Johnson Discusses His Creative Control and What “The Last Jedi” Means

  • September 6, 2017 at 6:07 pm
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    So, the way I understand it, there was no preconception on what any character was doing – or where their arc would go? So Luke’s presence on A2 was just because it looked cool in the end?

    Just seems soooo random – or is it just me? And kind of a let down because you’d hope for some bigger overarching story, plot, meaning etc…

  • September 6, 2017 at 6:07 pm
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    So, the way I understand it, there was no preconception on what any character was doing – or where their arc would go? So Luke’s presence on A2 was just because it looked cool in the end?

    Just seems soooo random – or is it just me? And kind of a let down because you’d hope for some bigger overarching story, plot, meaning etc…

    • September 6, 2017 at 6:33 pm
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      Are you surprised? Afterall, it is JJ Abrams….

      • September 6, 2017 at 6:56 pm
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        But he’s just an employee of Lucasfilm.

        I would’ve thought that the plotting out the trilogy would be the responsibility of the story group. Apparently not. What exactly do they do?

        • September 6, 2017 at 7:11 pm
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          They look at the scripts, novels, comics and fact-check them. They make sure that there is no plot inconsistencies, and that everything works well together. Rian has said in many other interviews he was writing at LFL and would meet with the story group every week and throw his ideas at them. So Rian came to them with the story, instead of the story group coming to Rian with a story.

          • September 6, 2017 at 8:51 pm
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            So the story group is filled with fact-checkers and keepers-of-continuity, not actual storytellers. There’s currently no creative mind or group of minds that guides these movies. Lucasfilm hires people to create, and when they don’t like what they see they fire them with impunity and move onto the next guy. That just doesn’t sound like a good model for running a studio, which is probably why we’re seeing so much dysfunction.

          • September 6, 2017 at 9:00 pm
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            It’s sounding like a pass-the-baton approach to the new trilogy. A poster above used the comparison of how a TV series is run, but even most TV series, especially dramas, are plotted out more intricately over a season. It’s looking like Abrams and Kasdan planted a bunch of ideas in TFA, but they themselves did not write out what the answers were to pass on to their successors.

            Unfortunately, it’s also sounding like we won’t get much revelation into Snoke or Rey. If this turns out to be true, why was Johnson allowed to skip over this important character development? That would understandably put a lot more pressure on whoever is responsible for IX to not only have to develop these characters but also wrap things up all in one movie. It sounds like too much to deal with.

          • September 8, 2017 at 1:57 am
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            Character development isn’t the same thing as character background.

          • September 8, 2017 at 2:13 am
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            Look, there was a very vocal element of the fan base and the media that hated Lucas. They now have gotten what they want and as a result we have a ship without a pilot IMO. Fortunately, Lucasfilm is filled with talented folks.

        • September 6, 2017 at 8:15 pm
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          Pat themselves on the back….

        • September 6, 2017 at 8:15 pm
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          Pat themselves on the back….

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:14 pm
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        Good one 😉

    • September 6, 2017 at 6:49 pm
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      What’s baffling to me is they seem to be pushing this idea that there’s no pre-planned story as a good thing.

      • September 8, 2017 at 2:08 am
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        The cynical side of me interprets this as having no idea what they’re doing with the story hence the cut and paste job in TFA. Let’s face it, we are already seeing elements of empire being cut and pasted into TLD (first order, ahem the empire, chasing the rebels, I mean the resistance; a walker assault on the resistance base, etc.). But hey, the walkers are even bigger!

        My feeling is that we’ll get another entertaining flick, just not particularly original, but an improvement over TFA.

      • September 9, 2017 at 6:42 pm
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        It worked for the Original Trilogy.

    • September 6, 2017 at 6:51 pm
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      I think JJ and Kasdan approached it like a television show. You start with a plan for the first season, in this case it’s the first movie, and you have a general idea where you want it to go. You also “plant” various ideas that can go somewhere, even if you don’t have it all figured out, it’s like a seed for the next season (or movie). This is how most television shows are written. They don’t always have this huge overarching plan, but they write them as they go. Of course there are some ideas from the start, but it’s all subject to change based on what the writers want.

      • September 6, 2017 at 8:39 pm
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        You nailed it.

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:14 pm
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        Only difference I guess is, that most first seasons of (good) television shows at least seem complete as a story in it’s own right. Now knowing that there was no real idea behind finding Luke at the end of TFA is very dissapointing. The thought of them not having a real idea of why he was on the Island, as Rian said, just strips away the sense of purpose for TFA. Like the movie cant stand alone, because it’s pointless, at least the first season of movie show often can.

        • September 6, 2017 at 10:39 pm
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          Yup. Approaching TFA like a TV show was a big mistake. I’d be fine with how contextless a lot of stuff was, Luke’s disappearance, Kylo being seduced by Snoke; if we had gotten say a tradeoff.

          Like some explanation of what the galaxy was like 30 years, some insight onto why Han and Leia split up and their choices to return to their niches. But really, it just came off as setup.

          Because, minus Starkiller base, the ANH homages I argue I would have been fine with had they been used to springboard off into just a fun adventure story.

          For example, imagine if Poe Dameron had joined the group and didn’t die in the TIE fighter. Well, we get rid of Finn’s liar revealed and Poe can pilot the falcon with Rey being a co-pilot.

          And have it be a raiders of the lost arc style of SWs story, where our heroes are on the run from the FO, while trying to locate Luke. And have Han tag along.

        • September 7, 2017 at 2:19 am
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          The way things are sounding with this making-it-up-as-they-go approach, as if it’s a TV series that doesn’t have a well organized writers room: Maybe Kennedy should hire the executive producers of Game of Thrones to plot out IX, wrapping most things up. Then hire one of the best GOT episode directors to direct. Because if she’s going to approach producing Star Wars like a TV series, then she may as well hire some of the best in the TV field to finish.

          And I’m not really joking. The Russo brothers, who have directed the Captain America movies well, came from TV series directing.

        • September 8, 2017 at 2:04 am
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          I don’t understand how now knowing that is disappointing. Did Empire become disappointing when you learned Lucas didn’t originally plan for Luke and Vader to be related? Is a touchdown disappointing when you realize it was scored in a way that wasn’t what the play originally called for? Is a song disappointing when you learn it originally had very different lyrics? Love or hate the movies, but try to forget the behind the scenes stuff and just judge them on the actual movies. Directors, writers, studios, artists, authors, musicians all have different ways of doing things. Some are analytical, some let the work come to them. The inside information we have now is interesting after the fact but I feel for you that you’re letting it make you rethink your opinion. If 8 and 9 justify Luke being on that island, who cares when the idea came?

          • September 8, 2017 at 3:15 pm
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            You don’t understand because you lack of empathy I guess. I dont know you that well though so can’t really say. Can’t say about Empire either. I was born that year 🙂

            I can however say, that you may break my views down in to two main points:

            1) I guess being a passionate star wars fan, and being a big fan of well thought out tv and film – you’d expect that at least some of those over arching story elements were in place, so that when you rewatch it adds something to the experience, hints and clues you didnt catch the first time around. Just like the story in Kotor, Game of thrones, westworld, Noland films etc. So I guess in recent years, my standards for storytelling have just raised through the roof and hoped the new SW would do something similar 🙂

            2) All those fans investing a lot of time and energy in the story, making a billion theory youtube videos, dissecting the comics etc, and then being told that “lol, we really didn’t think that much about it” is just really dissapointing.

          • September 8, 2017 at 4:32 pm
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            Empathy is about being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they’re feeling. As a fan with the same knowledge, I can put myself in your place but can’t feel the same.

            I’m a huge Game of Thrones and Nolan fan. I get what you mean about storytelling. But again I just feel like there are things like Beru saying Luke’s got to much of his father in him that seemed to be laying hints. In reality, Vader wasn’t Luke’s father when that scene was written. Many authors don’t know how their stories will end. I’m also a musician and I’ve seen many detailed analyses of songs that break down complex timing and unorthodox chord structures that make it appear as if these songs were written in a lab by a genius. Then I see the guy who wrote the song say he doesn’t even read music and just felt that’s what the song wanted.

            As for the fan theories and videos, I’m reminded of the William Shatner bit on SNL where he told a room full of Trekkies to get a life. I’m not making fun, I engage in it myself and appreciate the passion. My point is that at the end of the day, they are just movies and no one, not Lucas or JJ or Kasdan or Johnson is demanding this kind of overthinking and endless analysis/sspeculation. We have to own that responsibility and take a step back realizing that just because we have such a passion, that doesn’t mean these movies require so analysis.

          • September 9, 2017 at 12:45 pm
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            Really valid points. I agree that the fan-scrutiny / overthinking and such of the material is probably not the goal for Lucas, Kasdan, Rian and JJ.

            And also totally understand that in many cases of art, tv and creativity you can only “design” things to a certain degree, and the rest is artistic freedom and feelings. Being a UI designer (not particularly related to tv/music I know), but everything you do in my field of design has a purpose, and I like stories that have that same thoroughness – nothing is random really. And I think it gives a higher sense of immersion when you put everything together and there is a red thread and meaning to everything.

            But this is probably just a personal feeling. I’m not doubting that the trilogy will be wrapped up nicely and be enjoyable movies.

    • September 6, 2017 at 9:14 pm
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      The overarching story was the search for Luke and that was the ending. Rey finding him was both a culmination of events and the jump off into the next chapter.

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:11 pm
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        Excactly, so the only reason to find him was because it looked cool. No idea behind it. That’s sort of dissapointing to know.

        • September 6, 2017 at 10:35 pm
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          The reason to find him is because he is the last Jedi and hope against the dark side. This is a fantasy adventure series, not sure what exactly you want from it beyond a good time.

          • September 6, 2017 at 11:06 pm
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            Complete and utter personal fulfillment! We are die hard Star Wars fans after all. Anything less is a total disappointment! That’s not much to ask, is it?

        • September 7, 2017 at 3:13 am
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          The idea was not to bog down the story in orgasmic Luke moments which would have made other characters almost secondary. Now they’re on-par with Luke and he’s free to be a significant part of the story, rather than the whole story revolving around him.

    • September 7, 2017 at 12:09 am
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      I think he’s also being coy. I am sure there are certain beats or ideas that he had to look at but as far as writing the script, he had freedom. I have a weird feeling Rian will be inspired by Lucas’ treatments but as far as the film goes, it will definitely by a Rian Johnson film

  • September 6, 2017 at 6:14 pm
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    It’s interesting; his philosophy on Rey’s parents [and Snoke’s origins] being inconsequential. It’s kind of like what Nolan did with Dunkirk. Stripping away all the conventional explainations and just focusing on the characters’ goals. Its a hard concept for us to comprehend since we’re so conditioned to want answers. But I think it’s time to evolve.

    As for Rian’s unorthodox storytelling; it’s the second film. The second episode is where you can get experimental and risky, witch is what he’s good at, and which is why he likely won’t return for lX.

    • September 6, 2017 at 6:38 pm
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      I don’t think he’s saying that Rey’s parentage is inconsequential. I think he’s saying that the revelation alone isn’t the thing that’s truly interesting. It’s how the revelation impacts the character.

    • September 6, 2017 at 8:11 pm
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      JJ Abrahams said the same back when TFA was released, ie. that the identity of Rey’s oarents was unimportant in itself. It may be juts a diversion, but that seems to be a line that RJ is keeping from JJ.

      • September 10, 2017 at 11:05 am
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        What is odd is Daisy has also said she thought people would know who Rey’s parents are by watching TFA and it would be settled, but the feedback she heard after, she realized “It’s not settled at all”.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:06 pm
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      Daisy said the same thing a year or more ago, it’s not where she’s from but who she becomes.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:36 pm
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      Agreed. I do love how Rey’s parents is inconsequential. To be fair, I have seen stories where that is the crux, like Kung Fu Panda 2. But really, a cool origin to me is meaningless.A fully fleshed out character with distinct personality traits, motivations and progression. And that can happen without a backstory.

      Now, do I think we will get an idea of who Rey is? Yeah, sure. If Rian is smart, he will get that out of the way and perhaps twist it on its head, like only part of the information is revealed or is an outright lie.

      To use an example, supposed we learned that Rey was Luke’s daughter and then it was revealed to be some kind of half-truth where Rey was Snoke’s daughter and was cloned or something. I am not holding to that because to have that expectation is setting up for disappointment, but you see my point.

      ESB was lightning in a bottle. LF will never ever recreate that. Instead, honor ESB by taking the emotional beats, and in-depth characterization and forge one’s own path. Like what Mad Max Fury Road did.

  • September 6, 2017 at 6:43 pm
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    Is that Hayden Christensen in the background of the picture with Rian in the water?

  • September 6, 2017 at 6:56 pm
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    See this goes back to me being worried about the plot seemingly flying together so haphazardly.

    I just hope it all pans out and we get a great story. I don’t want this to be shallow.

    • September 6, 2017 at 8:09 pm
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      I don’t think it will be shallow, but I have a strong suspicion it will be messy and incoherent. It doesn’t look good from my point of view.

  • September 6, 2017 at 7:40 pm
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    My, my… Such creative freedom! Clearly Colin Trevorrow, Phil Lord and Chris Miller have no reason to complain!

    • September 6, 2017 at 7:50 pm
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      maybe their vision sucked

      • September 7, 2017 at 6:30 pm
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        Could well be. Still I miss the time when directors had more control over their creations…

        • September 8, 2017 at 1:44 am
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          But Star Wars isn’t really theirs. They are stepping into someone else’s creation and playing with it for a while before handing it back to someone else.

    • September 7, 2017 at 6:31 pm
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      RJs job is to keep things positive. What else is he going to say? He might get the gig for 9.

  • September 6, 2017 at 8:04 pm
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    I am glad reading that this movie ending will not be dot dot dot and question mark.
    It is wiser

  • September 6, 2017 at 8:07 pm
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    This is called “PR recuperating”. Simple as that. I’ll always watch the Star Wars movies, but a spade is a spade. It is what it is. One writer down for TFA; George Lucas’ treatments in the trash; one director bypassed so that his writer can do re-shoots on Rogue One; Lord & Miller thanks for coming out for a movie no one asked for because they got rid of Josh Trank and the Boba movie; Colin Trevorrow out. 2 good movies but come on man! A pattern of issues is and has been developing. Life-long fan here but I call it like I see it.

    • September 6, 2017 at 8:20 pm
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      The only thing that matters is the finished product. 2 good movies are the result of making decisions about things that didn’t work rather than tolerating them and getting 2 bad movies. I know some people like to think that making 5 big-budget, high profile, highly-scrutinized films in a span of 5 years is a walk in the park. It’s not.

      • September 6, 2017 at 9:33 pm
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        That’s what I can’t figure out either. They could fire the entire team 4 times over. I’m talking down to the janitor… and I wont care so long as the movie is awesome.

      • September 7, 2017 at 3:05 am
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        And the decisions on those issues have been made quicker and quicker. So they’re learning.

        Some fans would have boycotted the original if they were privy to the troubles the original film had.

    • September 6, 2017 at 8:35 pm
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      Glad to see I’m not alone, I too love SW since 1977 and that’s why I care. They need to straighten up whatever issues they have.

    • September 6, 2017 at 9:10 pm
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      “2 good movies.”

      At the end of the day that is all that matters. Until the product on the screen starts to suffer the behind the scenes stuff is just noise.

      • September 7, 2017 at 6:23 pm
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        I would assert that R1 is the good movie so far. There are simply too many problems with TFA for me to call it good. I think TFA was a copy of the OT precisely because there is a lack of a clear vision of what the point of the sequel trilogy is exactly. Mark was spot on when he said at the SW celebration that all that really matters is that the movies make a ton of cash. I just hope the RJ has managed to salvage these characters and give them clear motivations and a plot that is not mired with conveniences to move things along.

        • September 7, 2017 at 6:53 pm
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          ” I just hope the RJ has managed to salvage these characters and give them clear motivations and a plot that is not mired with conveniences to move things along.”

          This is the part where I’ve been growing concerned.

        • September 7, 2017 at 9:17 pm
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          I love how TFA is just copying ANH, yet rogue one gets a pass despite being fan service the film. If ur going to point these things out at least be consistent.

          • September 7, 2017 at 9:56 pm
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            I can deal with the wholesale plagiarism of A new hope in TFA. I just don’t like how the characters were handled and unconvincing plot devices thrown in to move the story along. For those of you that love it, that’s great.

            How exactly was R1 fan service? TFA was the ultimate in fan service by avoiding any amount of risk taking. Every character felt like discounted versions of better characters Lucas came up with decades ago.

            On a side note, mark my words, Rey will barely get a scratch in TLJ. Will we actually see her go through any adversity to earn her powers? Doubt it. So far that is the biggest problem for me. If I want to see a strong female character I’ll take Sarah Conor or Ripley any day.

          • September 8, 2017 at 12:46 am
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            you didn´t see all the fan service in R1? Here you are just one – two droids popping up from right lower corner and wawing to the camera “We are here toooooo” 🙂

          • September 8, 2017 at 1:42 am
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            Did that matter though? Did it impact anything? Its as much fan service as someone saying “I have a bad feeling about this” but its just become a thing. We know Bail was on Yavin, so we already knew the droids were there anyway.

        • September 7, 2017 at 9:35 pm
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          Funny, I have the exact opposite opinion. To me TFA was a fun, exciting adventure in the spirit of the OT. Rogue One, while well executed, was joyless and left me feeling cold.

          I’m hoping Rian Johnson adds the one thing I felt was missing from TFA – a complex and original plot. Combine those with the rich characters he’s inherited from JJ and from George, and maybe this one can be more than fun and instead by truly special.

        • September 8, 2017 at 12:43 am
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          some of us think that TFA was great and R1 pure trash…the truth is that KK should pick her directors more carefully, because so far – in this – she didn´t have a lucky hand 🙂

    • September 6, 2017 at 9:44 pm
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      Their interview took place in August though. So it’s not like he is commenting on his creative control based on the Trevorrow firing.

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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        Okay, I can concede that to that point. But, they waited long to release this story a day after Trevorrow is released? I wasn’t born yesterday either.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:04 pm
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      If Kathy didn’t give a damn about the franchise, she wouldn’t be doing what she is doing.

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:12 pm
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        No one’s questioning whether or not she cares about the franchise. They’re questioning how she’s steering it. Lucasfilm is undeniably dysfunctional right now.

        • September 8, 2017 at 3:04 am
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          Even so, is that entirely Kathleen’s fault? THere’s no way any person in power such as her position, could ever possibly foresee the kinds of problems that have arisen since she took over. She’s not omnipotent mistakes will always happen and I think she just wants the movies to do as well as the rest of us, by taking a few chances on these young directors.

          That was probably a mistake in hindsight, and now she’s trying to recover as best as she can from those mistakes. I don’t think anyone should not ever get a second chance or be chastised for eternity because of some somewhat minor mistakes.

        • September 8, 2017 at 5:34 am
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          What matters most is the films get mostly good reviews and make a lot of money. Which the last two have, despite the bellyaching about them by 10 to 20 percent of the people who don’t like them. That’s still a lot of people.

    • September 7, 2017 at 4:44 am
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      But remember, all that matters is the finished product. When I was five, I knew who George Lucas was but I didn’t know Leigh Brackett wrote the first draft of Empire before Kasden stepped in. I didn’t know Irvin Kirshner directed it. I didn’t know Lucas didn’t originally plan for Vader being Luke’s father. I knew only that I’d seen a great movie. I realize this is 2017 and we’re in information overload. I realize Superfans want to speculate endlessly. But if that information and speculation are detracting from the experience of actually watching the movies and judging them on their own merits, what’s the point?

  • September 6, 2017 at 8:49 pm
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    I will admit if I turn out to be wrong, but I feel if Johnson was going to take over IX, Lucasfilm would have delayed the announcement that Trevorrow was let go and announce both news at once, perhaps as we got closer to December. This would have made the transition more seamless and reassuring to the fans, the industry, and to Disney shareholders. Further, it would have been a show of confidence in TLJ and Johnson’s work.

    This suggests to me they are searching for a new director — because Johnson is NOT the top pick. For some reason.

    • September 8, 2017 at 1:49 am
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      That assumes Trevorrow wouldn’t announce it himself. From a PR standpoint, they’d rather it come from them. Does Rian have a family? I don’t know about his personal life but I know signing on to direct is a big commitment. For all we know, he may have already been offered it and is taking time to think it over.

      There’s also the possibility that, for whatever reason, The Last Jedi doesn’t perform as well at the box office or that it gets a mediocre reaction from fans. Lucasfilm would be in a bad position if this happened and they’d already announced Johnson for IX.

  • September 6, 2017 at 9:08 pm
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    Not sure why people are complaining that Rian Johnson had creative freedom on this. Especially after we have complained about lucasfilm micro managing the spin-offs.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:08 pm
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      There’s a big difference between having a plan for the trilogy and micromanaging. It’s the lack of the plan that has people concerned.

      • September 6, 2017 at 10:27 pm
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        But why? We’ve seen one film that we like and are waiting on a second that we are all high on. So far this looks like a winning strat.

        • September 7, 2017 at 8:45 pm
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          If copying a set of older and better movies is a strategy, then well ok.

          • September 7, 2017 at 9:12 pm
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            The OT was copying other films, so let’s not try to pretend SW has ever been original. And again, who cares? All that matters is if you are entertained.

          • September 8, 2017 at 12:39 am
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            This is the same answer like: But we had no problem with Ewan as a younger Ben or River as a younger Indiana. 🙂 To those who don´t get it – the secret is in the numbers. So to you – no. It is not the same. Hidden Fortress and other movies don´t have walkers, Death Stars or trench runs. Every movie made so far was inspired by something. But having a frenchise and recycling scenarios and other things is a different thing. Have you heard complainings about the original trilogy not being original? Have you heard about TFA not being original? Now sit down and think hard why 🙂

          • September 8, 2017 at 1:11 am
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            As I said the OT was recycling many, many films and ideas(not just hidden fortress). The whole point being that it was something familiar: the hero’s journey, good vs evil, etc.

          • September 8, 2017 at 1:21 am
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            You know what, no I will not over think a children’s fantasy saga. Y’all want something deep and ground breaking from something that was meant to be simple and fun. The hero’s journey, good vs evil, laser swords and magic. That’s all I want and need. If you need more then watch star trek or any other sci fi property.

          • September 8, 2017 at 3:00 am
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            That’s a valid point, but I have issue with the fact that sooo many people (mostly fans) are willing to shit on TFA, Rogue One, Lucasfilm, Disney, the directors, the cast, whoever simply because the plot for one of the new Star Wars movies was not original enough.

            I mean like seriously, is that the only thing that makes a movie bad? Whether or not the plot was original???

            I will never understand why so many people place such high value on how original a movie’s plot is. There is rarely such thing as an original plot anymore, it’s all just recycled story with new aesthetics nowadays.

          • September 9, 2017 at 10:50 pm
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            Totally agree.

          • September 8, 2017 at 1:35 am
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            The OT also clearly did not have a plan for a trilogy either.

  • September 6, 2017 at 10:13 pm
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    Wasn’t there a quote somewhere to the effect of, “Episode 8 has a bigger, unexpected, secret reveal than Empire Strikes Back”?

    Is that still the case?

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:19 pm
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      Snoke kills Luke… but only to save Rey because he was secretly in love with Leia the whole time.

      • September 7, 2017 at 3:01 am
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        Snoke is Snape

        • September 7, 2017 at 5:52 pm
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          Kevin is Snipe

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:22 pm
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      That was from a Japanese poster. I found this bit on google
      “Our interpreter says that’s close to accurate, but “shocking” may not exactly be right; it could also be “devastating, gut-wrenching, startling, sensational, astounding, or astonishing.” Additionally, the Japanese word for “truth” could also be interpreted as “reveal”—so changing that to “moment” or “secret” would make the most sense for English-speaking audiences.”

  • September 6, 2017 at 10:28 pm
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    Most interesting. On one hand, the question of creative control one could argue is a loaded one. However, given the whole fiasco with Trevorrow; I can see it being valid.

    And Rian being smart, gave in my view an honest answer. There are a lot of things I want to discuss, but I want to isolate Rian’s statements to the following:

    “Take the question of who Rey’s parents are: If you get the information — oh, it’s that! — who really cares? I know a lot of people care, but it’s interesting as opposed to impactful[…] O.K., I understand what the weight of that is. We could play with those questions and their answers to have the biggest emotional impact on these characters.”

    I absolutely love this quote for a few reasons. For granted, I will admit; aside from Ridley’s performance; Rey I found really bland. So, I am being upfront about my bias. But Rian has a point. It is nice to wonder about backstories and origins of a character, but that shouldn’t just be the main focus. Rather, it should be a stepping stone for where a character may end up from the start of a story to the end: a character arc.

    Now, to be fair; there are movies to which have touched on the history of an individual. Kung Fu Panda 2 did a wonderful job with discussing about Po’s past and tying to his self-identity. Now, if TLJ does take a similiar approach, where it is Rey trying to figure out who she is and how that affects her during the course of the movie: great.

    I do not need to even know who her folks are. Even though, it would be nice to know. ESB’s twist worked well because aside from some wonderful foreshadowing; it was a gateway, a turning point that symbolized just how complex and more personal, Luke’s role of saving the galaxy was going to be. And I believe this same thing could be accomplished, but in a more subtle way; without a big reveal.

    But that s just me.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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      The other aspect I wanted to touch upon was Rian’s statements on Luke in Ach-Too namely that he has a solid reason and isn’t hiding. Thank you. I love Luke Skywalker and while I will admit; his decision to run away crossed me, if there is a good, smart reason given I am all for it. Because, Luke, in Legends, became a tactical thinker, always thinking two steps ahead.

      Much like, Obi-wan. And given how his temple was killed off by Kylo and presumably Snoke; I could see him being prudent about not wanting to reveal himself/ being a target. Rather, staying low and piecing things together via the history of the First Jedi and then upon much introspection, hopefully stepping back into the fight.

    • September 6, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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      The other aspect I wanted to touch upon was Rian’s statements on Luke in Ach-Too namely that he has a solid reason and isn’t hiding. Thank you. I love Luke Skywalker and while I will admit; his decision to run away crossed me, if there is a good, smart reason given I am all for it. Because, Luke, in Legends, became a tactical thinker, always thinking two steps ahead.

      Much like, Obi-wan. And given how his temple was killed off by Kylo and presumably Snoke; I could see him being prudent about not wanting to reveal himself/ being a target. Rather, staying low and piecing things together via the history of the First Jedi and then upon much introspection, hopefully stepping back into the fight.

    • September 8, 2017 at 12:32 am
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      And here is the other side, those who really wants to know who Rey parents are. To some of us the answer is really important. Who she is it´s quite clear – a nice, good, honest person, a survivor. That´s enough for me. Where is she going? Another easy answer – find Luke, develop her Force skills and fight evil. The only thing we don´t know – and lot´s of us care of – where she came from? – Who are her parents? Is she the Skywalker of this trilogy or is she not?

  • September 7, 2017 at 4:47 am
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    “The heart of the movie is Luke and Rey. It follows all the other characters, but its real essence is the development of the two of them.”

    That’s exactly what I want to see.

  • September 7, 2017 at 6:12 am
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    It would be interesting to know how much these late course corrections (pay-offs and reshoots etc) have cost Disney so far. I presume they won’t continue to tolerate flushing chunks of their profits down the toilet for too long before wanting changes at Lucasfilm.

  • September 8, 2017 at 12:26 am
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    Well again we have the confirmation that there is no other Jedi then Luke, in the entire Galaxy. So why the hell the plural of the title, Disney? 🙂

    • September 8, 2017 at 3:28 pm
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      Because poorly translating titles is a very common thing. Stop being so autistic, this isn’t even interesting.

  • January 23, 2018 at 10:12 am
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    So how come what RJ says here is not what happened in the film?

    Infact what he says about Luke is the opposite, what he says here is what would have pleased the fans.

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