Unlike Kylo Ren, Rian Johnson will not let the past die.
In what some may view as a surprising development, writer-director Rian Johnson is “even more proud” of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year.
In a retrospective interview with Empire Magazine, he speaks fondly of his entry into cinema’s beloved space opera. “When I was up at bat, I really swung at the ball. The ultimate intent was not to strip away – the intent was to get to the basic, fundamental power of myth. And ultimately I hope the film is an affirmation of the power of the myth of Star Wars in our lives.”
Despite the film being a box-office smash, as well as a favorite among critics and audiences, The Last Jedi remains a polarizing chapter in the Star Wars fan community.
Many of Johnson’s bold narrative choices, including the characterization of Luke Skywalker and the dismissal of Rey’s parentage, were strongly criticized by hardcore fans as antithetical to the saga’s long-standing traditions. Other fans praised Johnson’s film, citing it as a challenge to often-pandering franchise fanservice and a continuation of Star Wars’ core themes.
Regardless of the fan response, Johnson is still confident in his approach. “I think it’s impossible for any of us to approach Star Wars without thinking about it as a myth that we were raised with, and how that myth, that story, baked itself into us and affected us.”
He is particularly passionate about his portrayal of Luke Skywalker, a choice that actor Mark Hamill himself disagreed with at the time of filming. “The final images of the movie, to me, are not deconstructing the myth of Luke Skywalker, they’re building it, and they’re him embracing it,” Johnson said, referring to the film’s climactic final battle on Crait.
“They’re him absolutely defying the notion of, ‘Throw away the past,’ and embracing what actually matters about his myth and what’s going to inspire the next generation. So for me, the process of stripping away is always in the interest of getting to something essential that really matters.”
Not only is he proud of what he has already accomplished, but he is also looking to the future.
Not long before The Last Jedi’s release in 2017, Disney announced that Johnson had signed on to write and direct an additional trilogy of films outside of the Skywalker Saga. Following the film’s vocally minor outcry, fans were quick to speculate that these films were in jeopardy.
“I’ve stayed close to Kathleen [Kennedy] and we get together often and talk about [my trilogy],” he told Empire. “It’s just at this point a matter of schedule and when it can happen. It would break my heart if I were finished, if I couldn’t get back in that sandbox at some point.”
Statements from producer Kathleen Kennedy earlier this year at Star Wars Celebration corroborate this sentiment. “Rian had such a gigantic success with Knives Out that he’s very committed to try and get that done. So it’ll be a while. And we have to work three, five years in advance on what we’re doing. So that’s where that sits. But we love him.”
You can read more about Rian Johnson’s career, his work on Star Wars, and what to expect from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in the latest issue of Empire Magazine. It drops on newsstands Thursday, September 1st.
Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.
