ST Will fan backlash affect development of IX?

Agreed. Also, there should be no fear of studio panic because studios don't make their decisions in the first days of release when emotions run high and opinions of a very small minority dominate the social media. And if you followed the "backlash", you likely noticed that the tide shifted very quickly from "Rey Related/Snoke" to "the movie's overlong, boring, nothing really happened, pointless plots and characters". So the narrative of dissatisfaction with TLJ is no more about some headcanons getting shot down (to the delight of many other fans so it's pointless to retcon anything cause that other part of fandom would be put off in return). It's about technical aspects (needs better editing, needs tighter script, shorter running time if there's no real justification for longer one) and story aspects that are about what's in the movie (example: chase/mutiny/Canto Bight = boring and pointless) rather than "I wanted this but got that instead".

In short, some fan's hoping for backlash to affect IX may end up with "be careful what you wish for" cause none of us knows for sure what part of the backlash irks the studio if anything does. It all boils down to GA reception and they do not care for headcanons but they do care whether they are entertained or not. Bore me and you won't see me again nor I'm gonna recommend the movie. That's how they work. #NotMyLuke and such strictly Internet crap is not their concern.

 

All I know is...I recently watched AOTC and was enjoying it far more than TLJ (please note this is not about bashing/comparing trilogies, I swear it! ). I mention this because IMO every single SW-related thing since AOTC has been an improvement upon it....until TLJ. So, to me, that there deserves to be some backlash and that changes do need to be made.

The tone is the biggest issue.... TLJ has too 'knowing' a tone, with cheap laughs to get reactions out of general audiences. TLJ is like someone at a party, so scared they won't be liked so they keep making a big idiot of themselves. That's maybe an exaggerated statement, but yeah... At least JJ realises Star Wars has a huge built-in audience and playing to them doesn't need to feel insulting, it CAN be done in a fun way. Yeah...

 

AOTC has more nostalgia then episode 1?

 

Abrams and Terrio have been working on IX for a while now and they started before TLJ came out. I'm not sure if they'll be able to incorporate the feedback from it into their story. Or if they even want to.

 

It would be very unwise to deviate in any way from their creative vision. Nothing is worse than ignoring the plan just to pander to a bunch of people.

If they take in some feedback it will be internal stuff, or some more general themes like "this movie might have been a bit too long, scale the next one down to something like 130m again" or "make the finale of the trilogy a bit more uplifting and positive". They most definately won't have IX somehow contradict TLJ just because a bunch of people didn't like that one.

 

Well considering JJ could do what he wants, thats the creative vision. Its not like theres some grand plan theyll change after seeing fan reaction. Who knows what JJ has planned, he could retcon everything Rian did. That doesnt mean it even had anything to do with fan reaction, maybe he just had an idea he liked better. Werent there a lot of people saying before TLJ was released that Rian shouldn't feel beholden to everything JJ seemed to set up in his movie? I dont see why thats changed. Let JJ do what he wants, if he wants to continue with a similar path, Im.all for it. but if he feels he can do a better job ny retconning something, or working around it in some way, I would hope hed feel as comfortable doing that as Rian did with the chances he took with his movie.

 

Well, there is a difference between making a choice for something that was left open (or vague) and directly contradicting what was explicitly stated. TLJ didn't contradict anything that TFA set up, it merely took available options. It's certainly possible for Abrams to do the same with things that are left vague enough by TLJ to allow for something different than wht Johnson may have done with it, but it seems very much unlikely that he would directly contradict stuff that happened in TLJ.

People who expect Abrams to disregard what happened in TLJ are very likely in for a disappointment. He's not going to suddenly bring Snoke back (at least not in living form in the present), Luke should very much be what he was at the end of TLJ, and it seems rather unlikely that he will change Rey's parents either, seeing how he was the one who said that they weren't particularly relevant in the first place.

JJ Abrams should definately do what he thinks is a proper continuation of Episode VIII, but that includes looking at the room given and going from there. TFA left a lot of room for Rian Johnson to go into all possible directions. Now, after two movies, there is a bit less room for movement. It seems very unlikely that Abrams would go and contradict TLJ, and I don't see why Lucasfilm would be okay with attempting something like that either. Abrams certainly can give something a spin, because TLJ allows for that, but I very much doubt that he will actively contradict anything. Which is basically the same thing Johnson did with TLJ. He didn't contradict anything from TFA, he merely took what was left to him.

 

Just because something is

I never said he would contradict things in a way that wouldnt make sense. However remember that "from certain point of view" is a Star Wars thing. Really I just hope JJ doesnt try to get cute by being all meta. I get what Rian was trying to do, but imo meta just doesnt work for Star Wars outside of parody. Keep it the space fairy tale it was meant to be.

 

But they don't have a clear vision, by their own admission.

 

ok i suppose everyone is waiting for the confirmation that Mark Hamill is or isnt returning And if he does theh we'll play the game of "estimating his screentime based of his shooting schedule". Cant wait and there's no irony in it. Really looking forward to hearing if Luke will play a small or big part in ep9 or if this was the last time we saw him.

Id be very very suprised to hear that Serkis is part of the cast. Seems like Snoke was a red herring.

I dont think ep9 will undo anything that happened in TLJ. Especially since most of it finds its seeds in JJ's TFA (Ben's inner conflicts, exiled broken Luke, the weight of legacy, new rebels vs new empire, Rey as the new champion of the force etc..) Rey wont be the child of any character know. The only thing that could happen IMO is that we learn that her parents werent what Ben said and has a special story...but even that im not sure at all and id be happy with Rey from Nowhere.

Now the tone of the movie...anyone is entitlrd to its opinion and I thought TLJ had a idiosyncratic, challenging approach to SW, blending pure thrilling entertainment and fun with more offbeat stuff (visually, narratively or symbolic)...some sort of cerebral quirky psycheldelic popcorn space drama of fun and thoughtfulness....whatever that means haha but it's a sort of holy grail to me. I dont see as much depth and originality in of the other popcorn flicks...

...so...JJ...i think he can do a good movie but he has to up his game. Give us some meat, exciting new ideas, challenging story, some edgy stuff. So far i love JJ but he's still an (great) entertainer whereas RJ is a proper auteur. I love TFA but after TLJ i need more bold ideas and depth. If this backlash means "keep things simple and blockbuster-like" well, that would be a missed opportunity.

 

Well for sure, JJ is not in a position to do much teasing in this movie. While we don't need every question answered or every mystery solved, but we do need a satisfying wrap-up of this story. Personally, I loved Luke in TLJ, but I do think we could do with a bit more of a wrap-up of Luke. The Rey/Kylo thing needs resolving. JJ has to have a huge lump in his stomach. He's got a lot to pull off. And he knows that no matter what he does, someone will say he ruined Star Wars.

 

I would always hope that fan backlash affects things for the better. At the moment it seems like LFL is more interested in antagonizing its own fan base than telling great SW stories. I love what the books are doing far more than what i've seen in the films. I hope they could tap some of that talent (achem claudia grey) and move them into the film wing.

 

That's a point of view. I am in their fan base, and I'm loving what they are doing. And they absolutely should NOT be chasing the disenchanted fan. Movies by focus group are a terrible idea.

 

A significant amount of the fan base feels antagonized. In fact, LFL has not been shy about outwardly doing so. Either by painting them as crazed fanboys or racist/misogynistic/etc., because they didn't like the latest film. I know you POV doesn't line up with that, but there are enough fans who's POV does. Thi is something they need to pay attention to.

 

Should they chase the angry fans at the expense of those who like what they are doing? And if so, why? And you may disregard the role of misogyny and racism in the "backlash," I think it is very real (although it doe not apply to everyone critical of the film, of course). I've encountered some these hateful fans in real life now (though thankfully, none of them are my friends). I'm not necessarily against "fan-pleaser" films, though I prefer the films to not just string together one fist-pumping scene after another. I think the franchise will whither and die if film-makers just did what "fans want" all the time. And frankly, I'd rather some fans get mad than the film just becoming boring wish fulfillment. Of course, the risk of that is one day it's my ox getting gored, but I'm willing to risk that.

 

Episode IX isn't on a delayed track. Trevorrow was hired in August, 2015, and pre-production began in February 2016. It's simply that Trevorrow had to start over after Carrie Fisher died, and then his scripts couldn't get Kennedy's approval.

We don't know how much of Trevorrow's script, if any, will be used by Abrams and Terrio. Arndt contributed enough to TFA to receive co-writing credit.

 

The only things I expect to see more of in this upcoming movie is more nostalgia.

 

No because those who liked the movie are still much bigger and more compact majority while those who hated the movie are not unified in their reasons for hate. Some hate the movie cause they didn't get headcanon X, Y, Z (and those reasons defer from person to person and clash). Some hate the movie for political, not headcanon, reasons (and those reasons too defer from person to person and clash). Some hate the movie because they found it boring while not caring for either headcanons or politics of any kind. Etc.

So I agree with you. There's absolutely no reason to pander to naysayers cause they have different and often clashing reasons for hating the movie. Pandering to some would keep alienated fans with opposite views still alienated while people who liked the movie are likely to be alienated too. In short, the next movie wouldn't get the viewership back but actually lose more.

 

J.J pitched the story to Disney not long ago, so they seem to be pretty far along.

 

Agreed. Oh to be a fly on the wall and know what kind of discussions are happening. I have to think JJ has been thinking about what he would do in IX for a while, even before he agreed to do it. How could he not? He had to have some idea of where he thought these characters would go, and TLJ must have interacted with those ideas. I do hope that he considers what's there on the table and makes use of it, but it is true that TLJ ended in a way to let JJ to do almost anything he thinks needs to happen.

 

I have belonged to many fandoms and I have seen many fans backlash, I even made part of one a long time ago and my experience tells me that it doesn't end well for anyone. In fact many times the writer / producer / director feels hurt and instead of correcting what bothered so many people, he keeps insisting on his mistakes sometimes even in order to continue bothering those same people. I hope this is not the case, it would be a totally childish behavior

If I were in the position of Lucas Film I would continue with my original idea for the movies and ignore the complaints. Changing things on the fly will only make things worse for me.

 

Honestly, I've found LucasFilm to be one of the more polite when it comes to fanbases, even in the TLJ backlash. Compare to how Marvel comics writiers and fans get into fights online over stuff.

Would their strengths translate into film medium?

 

That's what they'll do. They'll continue with the original idea cause they know they'll never please everyone but if they try to please everyone they'll end up pleasing no one.

 

JJ: So, Rey has to return to Jakku, to save her beloved Kylo Ren, who has been abducted by DJ and sold to Unkar the Plutt for drinking money. She arrives at his quarters but falls through a trap door and has to fight Unkar's secret pet...

Terrio: Doomsday, who was created by Unkar using the genes of himself and Constable Zuvio. But Rey can't defeat it alone: Poeman and Superfinn rush to her aid. The two spend most of the movie hating each other. Poe points out that the jacket Finn wears is actually his jacket, while Finn argues that he looks better wearing it than Poe does. This results in a huge brawl, but they eventually bond over the fact that both have a mother.

JJ: Meanwhile, the First Order is secretly building a superweapon, the Wipeout Pulverizer, powerful enough to destroy entire galax...

Disney Executive #3: So, guys: what would you say about making your own trilogy?

 

I disagree totally with this criticism (particularly things being "pointless"), but I do agree it is the most reasonable criticism, and the one Lucasfilm is most likely to take to heart.

The way I view it is that TLJ was different from the other saga films in that it was the least concerned with being fun, and the few parts that did seem to be consciously trying to be fun were also widely considered the least effective parts. Even if you feel the PT wasn't successful, it was full of ideas that would sound fun on paper. I suppose ESB is the closest to TLJ in not really going out of it's way to be fun.

From this point of view, I don't think there is really anything for LFL to address. JJ was already tripping over his lightsaber trying to make every second of TFA as fun as possible, and I just can't see one of his movies being off-putting or boring to viewers in the same way TLJ was for some. The most I can see them doing on this front is making sure he keeps the run time from going too far past 2 hours.

As far as the other components of the backlash go, I can't see them making any impact. Things like "plot holes" (that frequently aren't) or "this one specific moment ruined the move/SW for me" aren't really things you can do anything about in IX, because they are specific moments in VIII. And any complaints about the politics of TLJ I think would fall on utterly deaf ears. Kathleen Kennedy would be more likely instruct JJ to double those elements than to eliminate them.

So I think it's really unlikely that the negative opinions of TLJ will cause IX to be much different than it otherwise would've been.