ST Rian Johnson to write and direct Episode VIII (and also new SW Trilogy - see page 194)

I'm not asking about you. You implied, quite a few times, that you have inside connections that drove your Rey Skywalker confidence. Is the same insider now saying that RJ's trilogy will get scrapped?

 

There's thousands of directors and writers out there. They don't need to keep going back to Rian Johnson.

 

Last time I checked, TLJ slots in very nicely to the rest of the saga.

 

A lot of off-topic attacks. Not me though.

I do find it strange that since the announcement of the RJ trilogy before TLJ was released we have since heard of the GOT guys coming on and other possible series.

We will know what's real when production starts. I doubt all come out in the next 5 years and typically the first gets cut and the latest idea stays.

 

Considering the troubles that Star Wars films have classically run into, it seems the Rian Johnson VIII experience is quite rare. He delivered an acclaimed blockbuster, on time, with no know drama, that moved forward Disney-LFL's agenda for the franchise. He's gold. Disney-LFL has no reason to not hire him again.

 

Could it be - gasp - that more than one SW project is in the works at once? I mean, it's not as if we haven't had that happen with the films before, is it? My guess would be the Benioff/ Weiss stuff gets released on the Disney streaming channel. But we'll see. As of now, all we know is that RJ is announced for a new trilogy once the Skywalker saga is done (for the foreseeable future anyway). There's nothing to counter that, apart from wishful thinking on the part of the TLJ detractors.

And yes, there are lots of good writers and directors out there - unfortunately for some here, KK happens to believe that RJ is one worth sticking with. I can't say I'm shocked that people whose head canon were set to "my way or bust!" are now crying foul. Which is fine, but has sweet FA to do with how highly LFL rate Rian Johnson. They don't have to stick with Rian Johnson. They want to stick with Rian Johnson.

 

Disney announced back in 2013 that it would be releasing two anthology films. By this logic, Rogue One should've never seen the light of day.

 

BTW, Gareth was effectively replaced. He played ball and so reaped the rewards of that. L & M would not and will not. RJ and JJ are postive examples of what happens when it works - and RJ got on better with LFL than JJ did on certain levels, from what I gather. LFL loved working with RJ. They're not idiots - they knew exactly what they were getting with TLJ. And funnily enough, they really like and believe in TLJ.

 

I'm not sure why people have this need to see RJ lose his job. It's not motivated by the facts, it's motivated by hatred for the film he made. If he were likely to be replaced, even though I didn't mind TLJ, then I would agree, but there is no evidence of that. At the end of the day people look very silly for wanting to see RJ 'pay' for daring to produce something they didn't like. If you didn't like TLJ, fine, I understand why you didn't. But stop being so petty about it.

 

Here's the thing, Disney-LFL is cracking Star Wars wide open. There are at least 6 films that have been announced, or in production, or are due for release. The plan is for decades worth of releases to come.

The days are gone when your Star Wars film hopes and dreams were pinned on one vision, one film, every few years. For those who abhor Rian Johnson it's never been easier to just skip a Star Wars vision that you don't dig. No need to hang around hoping that Disney-LFL secretly hates Rian Johnson, and are alarmed over having the biggest film of 2017 (right ahead of their second biggest film of 2017). No need to wish and hope and dream that he gets canned.

There's so much more Star Wars waiting for you. Rejoice!

 

And you could have done that without attaching a trilogy as a direct sequel to Lucas' Main Saga. People are willingly to be more open to new Star Wars stories despite nostalgia for the old. Look at Star Trek The Next Generation. Or the Clone Wars TV series.

And I don't think releasing more Star Wars stuff is necessarily a good thing. Especially if the mantra is still "Everything is Canon."

 

RJ’s trilogy is not a sequel to the saga, it’s unrelated.

 

I agree. That is what made Back to the Future so good. It had a beginning, middle, and end. That was it.

 

OK, then, as I said, check out what you want, and ditch the rest.

Fantasizing that RJ is going to be tarred, feathered and fired isn't going to get you a film you want. It's not going to erase TLJ, and it's not going to cause his trilogy to float off into the sea.

Thankfully, if you're so inclined, there are plenty of other upcoming Star Wars offerings.

Win-win.

 

J.J. Abrams reportedly wrote drafts for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars 9 - but Rian Johnson scrapped them

J.J. Abrams had better hope he’s made some backups. According to Daisy Ridley, the Star Wars 9 director (who, at the time, was one and done after Star Wars: The Force Awakens) actually wrote drafts for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars 9. The problem? Rian Johnson wanted to do his own thing. Now, we’re kinda left with a big problem heading into the trilogy’s final chapter.

As revealed by Ridley in an interview with French publication Le Magazine GEEK(and translated by The Playlist), things originally seemed far more straightforward for movie plans in a galaxy far, far away, “J.J. wrote Episode 7, he also wrote drafts for [The Last Jedi] and [Star Wars] 9.” Nice and simple. So far.

“Then Rian arrived and re-wrote [The Last Jedi] entirely,” Ridley reveals. “I believe there was some sort of general consensus on the main storylines that would happen in the trilogy, but apart from that, we agreed that every director should probably make his movie his own way.”

Ok, that throws up a lot of questions that I’d love to have answered. What storylines were decided in advance? Johnson sure had a lot of fun in chucking away the Snoke build, for example, and would Abrams really have killed off Luke Skywalker? We’ll probably never know but, with Colin Trevorrow out and Abrams in for Star Wars 9, one thing is for certain: The Last Jedi is looking more and more like the muddled middle child.

Will Abrams be tempted to go back to his old drafts and keep some of the broader strokes? It’s possible, but it’ll just add to the confusion. We’ve now been left with the unique situation of a trilogy being helmed by one director, with an outlier sandwiched in the middle of it all.

Star Wars 9 may yet stick the landing after The Last Jedi left everything up in the air but, with J.J.’s original plans gone the way of the space-dodo, it’ll be very interesting to see whether Abrams decides to pick up the pieces with his old stuff, or forge forward using Johnson’s story. Either way, it’s not ideal for Lucasfilm and Disney. We could end up getting the conclusion that no one particularly wants, all because of a lack of forward-planning.

Link: https://www.gamesradar.com/jj-abram...m_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer_tftw

 

If Rian was just set to direct one standalone, i wouldn't care at all : just skip it and move on.
Problem : Rian was mandated for an entire trilogy. Clearly he will be very influencial in the future of the franchise. And, i, like many people, reject his vision on too many levels to accept him having such a proeminent role.

Rian didn't just deliver a movie i hate, he also damaged previous movies i hold dear.
But much worse, he killed my interest in Ep IX, and killed my interest in his trilogy as well, (and i wasn't warm about Solo to begin with).
Even worse, with such a big vote of confidence from KK, Rian's style is likely to affect other SW movies as well.
From where i stand, SW's future looks very bleak as long as Rian keeps his current job.

With so little to look forward to, i'm at a point where i'm considering dropping the franchise completely. So, yeah, i really hope someone who understands SW's spirit better than him will get his job, because i don't want to drop a franchise i loved for nearly 30 years.

 

Lucky for you:

a) RJs other films will be disconnected and original.
b) there will be other content besides RJs.

 

Good for RJ for chucking JJ's scripts, and his employers for condoning and validating that decision.

RJ wasn't hired to direct JJ's script. He was hired to direct his own script. A script that JJ loved.

A self contained trilogy, disconnected from previous narratives.

Easily discarded.

He wasn't hired to write/direct/produce Episode X-XII. Your point would hold water if that were the case. You're not forced to watch his films, or count them in your own personal canon. They're making this very easy to ignore for those who aren't interested in RJ's work.

Rian Johnson getting fired won't magically change LFL's view of the franchise. RJ is an employee. His vision was allowed because that's what they wanted for TLJ and he was hired to do a trilogy because they treasure his Star Wars vision. Do you imagine RJ's pink slip will suddenly erase LFL's vision? How much power do you seriously think RJ has here?

RJ's job hasn't stopped Ron Howard, JJ Abrams or David Benioff/D.B. Weiss from being hired to direct Star Wars films.

Why are you speaking as if RJ is the singular creative visionary for Star Wars? Why would he need to lose a job for other people to bring forth their visions, when he currently has a job...and other people are still bringing forth their own visions?

 

People are getting confused with JJ writing a basic outline for the ST and writing a whole script for 8, the same way they were confused about Lucas and his treatments.

 

Rian's vision directly affects 4 of the next movies. Had i not watched the 4 movies following TPM, i wouldn't be a SW fan any longer.
And his style will probably spill out and influence other movies as well, to some extant. (and let's not kid ourselves, in a franchise, nothing is truly disconnected).

Besides, there is 0 guarantee i will like movies directed by someone else (especially if KK doesn't pull her ***t together).
I never was interested in Solo to begin with, and i'm very apprehensive about the movies from the GoT guys.

So currently, i have nothing to look forward to, out of 7+ upcoming movies.

 

There is no guarantee that you'll like any film ever again. There is no guarantee you will hate the new stuff RJ does. You've seen one film you didn't like and now apparently everything that follows it, even if it's not connected, is ruined. Sorry for pointing out that you're clearly overreacting.

 

Then potentially the very next project afterwards will give you hope. You might even like one of the current projects once you see it.

 

Agreed. I really don't think JJ wrote script drafts for 8 and 9. There was no time for that to happen.