J.J. Abrams Respectfully Addresses Angry STAR WARS Fans
It’s interesting to see how different directors handle the reactions of fans. As you know, Star Wars fandom has gotten pretty negative, especially with Star Wars: The Last Jedi and how that movie was handled. Things took a super toxic turn after that, and because of that, the excitement for the film franchise has taken a dip.
As you know, director Rian Johnson has been very defensive of his film, and when he addresses the angry fans, his responses seem to spark more anger. Then there’s J.J. Abrams, who takes a completely different tack when addressing the fans, and that is that no matter how the fans feel, you respond to them with respect.
During an interview with Marvelous TV, Abrams was asked how he deals with the angry fans of the franchise and he responded with:
"You just have to be grateful for them, because you don't want to be working on something no-one cares about. And you have to understand that they've got their opinions and, of course, you have to value them. You're never going to please everyone, you have to know that going in, and just do the best you can. I'm nothing but thankful as someone who considers myself a fan. I can't wait for them to see the film."
The best way to fight the hate is with respect and love… right!? As for the creative choices made in The Last Jedi that some fans didn’t care for, Abrams previously said that the movie and those choices didn’t derail anything that was being planned for The Rise of Skywalker:
"The story that we're telling, the story that we started to conceive when we did The Force Awakens was allowed to continue. Episode VIII didn't really derail anything that we were thinking about. But I will say that the fun of this movie is that these characters are all together on this adventure as a group. That's the thing that I was most excited about to see, the dynamic between these characters that these amazing actors play on this desperate, seat-of-your-pants adventure. That, to me, was the most fun, having the group together."
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters on December 20th, and I’m one of the excited fans who can’t wait to see it! I’m excited to see how the Skywalker saga is going to come to a close.