Rian Johnson Discusses The "Big Questions" He's Looking To Explore in His STAR WARS Trilogy
When director Rian Johnson isn't defending his work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he is working hard on developing a whole new film trilogy set in the Star Wars universe. As a fan of The Last Jedi, I'm super stoked to see what his vision of the Star Wars universe will be. After all, it won't be really connected to anything that we already know about the Star Wars universe. This is going to be something completely fresh and new and in a recent interview with LA Times, he opens up about that stuff and explains that he is looking to explore "big questions" that may have never been brought up before regarding the Star Wars universe. He says:
"It's fun because it's kind of thinking, 'Okay, outside of the Skywalker story and outside of the recognizable iconography, what is this? What is Star Wars?' Or what do we need to retain from that, to pull forward for it to still be Star Wars — and what can we leave behind? They're all the big questions that need to be thought of. And even the ones that we don't know the answers to are things we need to figure out if Star Wars is going to be vital and alive moving forward and not just be a waxworks. We're going to have to figure out how to tell vital new stories."
Those are all fascinating things to think about. It's like working with a blank canvas and he's going to create something completely different and unique from within the universe. That's not an easy task, but it also doesn't come with the pressure of working with any existing story arcs or characters that everyone is already familiar with. He then goes on to express how vital it is to bring changes like this to the franchise so that it keeps audiences excited about the future of it.
"When people ask me, 'Don't you think people are going to get sick of Star Wars movies?' to me that question indicates that they're thinking of Star Wars movies as a museum exhibit that is wheeled out once a year so you can say, 'Oh, I loved that thing. Oh, I remember that thing!' And yes, if Star Wars is that, people are going to get sick of it really quickly. But if Star Wars are great new movies that are exciting and fresh, and that challenge you and surprise you and make you feel things and engage you the way that those original movies did — but always taking you to new places, both in the galaxy and emotionally — that's never going to get old. That's what it's all about."
He makes a great point here and it's hard to argue with. I'm happy to see Lucasfilm expanding the Star Wars universe and that they are looking to tell new and different stories that aren't connected to the core saga and its characters. It's time to create new sagas! The Star Wars universe is filled with endless stories and possibilities that can be conjured by the imagination of anyone.
Are you excited about what Rian Johnson will bring to the Star Wars franchise?