Rian Johnson says there is humor in The Last Jedi
"The cast and crew of Star Wars: The Last Jedi revealed some secrets of the film to Rolling Stone Magazine…"
Rian Johnson — writer and director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi — recently opened up to Rolling Stone Magazine and talked about his passion for Star Wars and what it was like making the film. As a child, Johnson’s first interaction with Star Wars was assembling his very own Millennium Falcon toy, only to break it immediately after.
"The first thing I did was throw it across the room, to see how it would look flying. And it broke."
From the trailers and many television spots released by Lucasfilm for The Last Jedi, it looks like Johnson’s love for that very first Star Wars toy hasn’t faded. A scene with Luke Skywalker returning to the cockpit of the Falcon after 30+ years was evoked loads of nostalgic emotions from fans of the franchise.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
The cast of The Last Jedi have admitted to being surprised by Johnson’s story-arc, to which he simply replies, with a grin, “I shook up the box a little bit.” As for the dark tone of the trailers and marketing promotion for the film, Johnson says it’s not all that way.
"That’s one thing I hope people will be surprised about with the movie. I think it’s very funny. The trailers have been kind of dark – the movie has that, but I also made a real conscious effort for it to be a riot."
Image Credit: Rolling Stone
Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) praised the way Johnson directed the film, noting how he would have been too stressed out taking over for J.J. Abrams who directed The Force Awakens in 2015. Driver says Johnson has introduced a “vocabulary that hasn’t been seen in a Star Wars movie before,” and that he thinks the writer/director is very smart, but at the same time, “doesn’t feel the need to let everyone know it.”
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Rian Johnson commented on Carrie Fisher’s legacy and how her death affected not only him but the entire cast and crew. The director visited Fisher at her home in Beverly Hills, where they went over the script for The Last Jedi in her bedroom. “I’m happy I got to poke my head into that, briefly, and know her even a little bit.”
Despite rumors to the contrary, Johnson did not change Fisher’s part in the film at all.
"We didn’t end up changing a thing. Luckily, we had a totally complete performance from her."
Johnson goes on to talk about the autonomy Disney gave him in writing and directing The Last Jedi, and notes how “baffled” he is over fans who think there’s someone behind the scenes just making up the story as they go alone.
Next: The Last Jedi receives mild sex, nudity rating from IFCO
You can read Rolling Stone’s entire interview with the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which includes Mark Hamill and others.