Rian Johnson reveals how he kept The Last Jedi script secret

Writer and Director for The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson, reveals how he kept spoilers from leaking, including the main script for the film.

In a day in age where social media is king, it’s nothing short of a miracle when a major motion picture film is not leaked before its official release date. The same rings true for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where Rian Johnson had the heavy burden of keeping the movie a secret.

Not only that, he had the tremendous responsibility of safeguarding the script for The Last Jedi, much like Jedi Master Bolla Ropal did in protecting the precious Holocron containing secret information on Force-sensitive younglings during The Clone Wars.

How did Johnson go about completing this tall task?

"I typed Episode VIII out on a MacBook Air. For security, it was “air-gapped”—never connected to the internet. I carried it around and used it for nothing except writing the script. I kept it in a safe at Pinewood Studios. I think my producer was constantly horrified I would leave it in a coffee shop."

Imagine you are visiting your local coffee shop, sipping down a cup of your favorite brew, and you stumble upon something. A MacBook Air. Not just any MacBook, but one that belongs to Rian Johnson himself. Of course, you would look inside its contents and discover the script for The Last Jedi.

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Would you read it? Or, would you even go to the lengths of selling it at a tremendous price to the highest bidder? Would you be a noble Jedi, returning it to its rightful owner? How you answer this question will no doubt expose your true loyalties — to the Dark Side or the Light.

You would have also discovered Johnson’s real inspiration for The Last Jedi, one that dates back many moons ago.

"When I was writing Episode VIII, I was listening to “The History of Rome” podcast. The stories have a lot of similarities. They’re about family dynamics and family politics. They’re about war and the mechanisms of war. You’ve got characters like Nero who are these insane, larger-than-life, operatic madmen driving their country to ruin."

The Last Jedi had those dynamics in spades, that’s for sure. Now, will Kylo Ren be like Nero, burning down the galaxy in the process? That’s up to J.J. Abrams, but we hope he embraces the Kylo Ren “madman” philosophy in Episode IX.

Next: Star Wars Rebels projected for a February 24 return date!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is playing in theatres, worldwide.

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