One of the biggest criticisms of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (second only perhaps to the treatment of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi) is the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm embarked on the series of films without a clear road map as to where the story was heading.
After raising several questions with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm allowed Rian Johnson to go down his own path with The Last Jedi, with J.J. Abrams then returning to the saga and looking to tie everything together with next week’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Whether that will prove successful or not, Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy has addressed their filmmaker-led approach to the trilogy, the producer telling io9 that Star Wars can’t be fully pre-planned and should always be open to detours and deviations.
SEE ALSO: SPOILERS: Tracklisting for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker score leaks online
“I like to look at the first three movies that George did where he had different directors,” said Kennedy. “He was really serving as the producing role in that. And we were doing a similar kind of thing, which is identifying genre and really allowing a filmmaker, and in the case of J.J. [Abrams] and Rian [Johnson], huge Star Wars fans, and allowing them to get immersed, to find the center of the story and then make it their own.”
“I don’t think anything’s ever ‘cemented’ with Star Wars,” she continued. “It can’t be. It’s so rich with possibility that you don’t want to reach a point where you think you’ve made a decision, and then not leave yourself open to exploring other possibilities and other considerations. I’ve worked as a producer in film my entire career. And I always consider myself a voice in the room. But it’s not my ultimate decision. It’s the decision of the director, ultimately. And your job is to serve up as many curated possibilities that they can choose from, work with, see if it’s going to fit in the mosaic of storytelling and then arrive at a point of view to move forward.”
What do you make of Kennedy’s comments? Do you think the Sequel Trilogy has suffered from a lack of pre-planning, or is this the correct approach? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees 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).
