Rian Johnson, the director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, has explained why he felt the need to move the saga forward.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has certainly been one of the most talked-about movies of recent years, with a split of online commenters either loving the movie or hating it. The Last Jedi certainly didn’t rest on the franchise’s laurels but why did director Rian Johnson decide to make such surprising choices?
Well, in a recent interview on the Creative Processing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt podcast (via Twitter, MovieCooper), the director said:
“I think the instant you start thinking in terms of how do you not step outside of the bounds of what the original movies did, you’re not thinking the way the people who made the original movies did. They were with every movie, they were pushing it forward, with every movie they were stepping outside those bounds and pushing the characters into new, emotionally honest, but surprising places. That’s why those movies are great. That’s why they’re alive. If they had been looking at something that came before it and saying, ‘Oh, we better not do this because that is outside of this or that,’ it would’ve been different.”
SEE ALSO: Rian Johnson discusses new Star Wars trilogy, won’t feature any legacy characters
It’s going to be fascinating to see just what J.J. Abrams has in store for us with The Rise of Skywalker and what that movie will do to the reputation of The Last Jedi. December can’t come soon enough for Star Wars fans.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set for release on December 20th 2019 with J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
Originally published August 22, 2019. Updated August 23, 2019.
