RJ Trilogy The Rian Johnson Trilogy

Johnson clearly cares about the Force as a core and indispensable Star Wars concept, and he's stated it's something that has to play a role in the story, even if it's on the outskirts of the character's understanding or awareness. We know he's interested in it, given that he devoted an entire scene to visually articulating what the Force looks and feels like, and he know he watched the Mortis trilogy of TCW episodes before jumping into production of TLJ, but I think he's more concerned with what the Force means in regards to how it connects to people/the characters, dealing with it more in a thematic sense, than in a "here's how it works in nitty gritty details" kind of way. I think that works and is actually ideal for Star Wars, given that this is a fantasy series with sci-fi trappings, and delving into how the metaphysical energy that permeates this world functions pushes it too far into actual sci-fi territory. Star Wars is better for the Force being mysterious and kind of vaguely explained and understood, both by the characters and the audience. It's such a universal, archetypal concept that I think delving into the mechanics of it too much depreciates its value and unnecessarily over-details the world.

If I can guess how this would translate to Johnson's trilogy and the role the Force/Force-users could play, I don't think the lead protagonist will have that gift. I could see the main Force-user being a member of the supporting ensemble, and their abilities and connection to the Force (when viewed through the audience-PoV eyes of the protagonist) will be seen as weird, otherworldly, and borderline unexplainable.

 

Are you really serious with this? OF COURSE a filmmaker's previous filmography matters. It shows the kinds of subjects they're interested in and the kinds of characters they like to write and how they tell stories. They're no different from any other kind of author. A filmmaker's previous movies tell you everything about their creative visions and what kind of slant they view the world through. I've also actually watched Rian's movies. Don't sit there and condescend to me about how I don't know what I'm talking about. That's BS. And for what it's worth, his one movie that dealt with the Force explained all of diddly about it except as a plot contrivance to move his story whenever he needed it to. Otherwise, it was, "The Jedi created Darth Vader and rolled over to let the Emperor wipe them out. I ruined everything because my murderous nephew went on a rampage. There's these 25,000 year old texts, but they don't matter. Darkness Rises and Light to Meet it" The Force may have been a theme of this film, but it was never explored thoroughly or fleshed out except for nebulous statements that took way too much time to say nothing. Rian Johnson may be a lot of things, but he is not and nor will I be convinced that he either cares about or really understands the Force. The guy that actually understood the Force is no longer a part of the picture at this point in time.

 

Most of the criticism of The Last Jedi that I've read involves Luke. I think if Rian Johnson makes an entirely separate set of movies with his own new characters, ones that don't have 40 years of fan nostalgia attached, his movies would be greatly appreciated. I think he is a great director and can't wait to see what he comes up with.

 

His handling of the character Mark Hamill played was the most egregious but he found plenty other facets of Star Wars lore and characters to provide dissension among.

He did achieve his goal of having a movie half the audience loved and half hated so he has that going for him.

 

I think a movie based on the Yuuzhan Vong or the Chiss in the unknown regions would be a very good idea But I do not trust in Rian Johnson

 

Isn't that how the secretary in "The Producers" answers the phone?

"Bialystock and Blooo-oom? Dobbu Scay..."

 

Sure. We can go with him.

 

If there's any mention of Vader, shard, past, or anything sounding similar to any of the themes used in the fanfilm, Star Wars Theory can claim it and make all the money.

 

I personally thought the best parts of The Last Jedi were those focusing on the force - of course no one will ever understand the force like the maker - but that doesn't mean other filmmakers don't have their own worthy understanding of it as well.

I would love to see Rian tackle something to do with the mysticism of the force, perhaps close to the founding of the Jedi. Something very far from the Star Wars we know, but with the same roots.

Not sure in general audiences would go for that, however.

 

No, it doesn't. Especially not with such a relatively short career. Plenty of directors have chosen to go after radically different ideas, just look at Spielberg, he changed styles and concepts about ten times over. His lone Star Wars movie also had little to do with his other works. So again, no, you have zero idea what Johnson wants to do, likes, or cares about, and nothing will ever change anything about that, because you aren't Rian Johnson.

I "condescend" you?
Where exactly does this nonsense come from? I have done no such thing, nor have I ever said that "you don't know what you are talking about". How about you stop putting words into other peoples mouths?

Yeah, way to ignore what is actually in the movie. It's always great when you have to create strawmen or lie about what is actually in the movie to make an argument...
What you are convinced of couldn't be less relevant. You are hardly the one who decides whether a person "understands" the force. And that doesn't even include having the audacity to declare what other people do or do not care about, which is as childish and pathetic as it gets. The hypocrisy is mind-blowing. Accusing others of being condescending while misrepresenting the arguments of others as well as the content of a movie, and, most importantly, pretending to know what the director of said movie cares about. THAT is condescending. Maybe take a look in the mirror for once and don't complain because someone dares to disagree with you, while you yourself somehow are free to attack others or define what they may like.

 

If anyone continues the above argument below my post, I’ll be reading unban requests during my lunch break.

 

I think RJ is one and done in Star Wars.

 

That’s the plan. He will direct the first film in his planned trilogy, and then hand it over to others.

 

@Bor Mullet, I believe that would be two SW films!

I don't believe Rian will direct another Star Wars film anytime soon. Maybe a decade or two from now, if the fanbase more universally embraces him. But until then, the Disney-LFL corporate structure will try others. They'll do so 1) because they can. And 2) because ultimately the corporate impulse isn't to upset consumers, but to excite them.

At this point, there's a very small market of people who would be excited by a Rian Johnson trilogy. It appears to consist primarily of those who trumpeted his hiring prior to the release of the film and have chosen to defend him since, either out of a true love of what he made or because they're defending their quick anointing of his genius.

 

If so, also not a great way to excite the fan base. We want the audience to care, hopefully in a positive sense.

But then again, I'm sure the general audience would be very familiar with the director of The Last Jedi, even if they don't know him by name.

 

Agreed. Of modern directors, I think only Spielberg and Jackson are famous to general audiences. I certainly care. But most people aren't me and don't.

 

I would say Tarantino is far more well known to the casual layperson than Peter Jackson, but still, the point is the same. I think the majority of people are going to be enthused or not enthused based entirely on how well the trailer sells the film/how appealing the designs are/etc.

 

I agree that to some extent the general audience may not care about who the director is, but then again, we should be careful of making assumptions like this without any data to back it up. We might very well find that general audiences care more than we assume. For example, if they simply hear good things about a director, they may be more likely to spend money on a blockbuster.

But this point is off track, in my view. It puts the focus on general audiences, which is a bit of a black hole in trying to make claims about it, when we really ought to focus on how executives tend to think, executives with millions, careers, and reputations on the line.

When Rian was first given a trilogy for development, there was no controversy to make execs think twice or give cause for concern. But now that the fan base is essentially split, there are good reasons to reconsider a Rian Johnson trilogy. One of the chief questions they have to ask is: what purpose is served by bringing him back when such a large portion of the fans disliked what he did?

The response to this is that The Last Jedi made a lot of money. And the response to that is despite the money made, some damage has been done that they may not want to stoke further. After the poor showing of Solo, it's clear that SW films don't always perform perfectly.

I think this is enough of an anxiety to make LFL-DIsney cancel Rian's trilogy.

 

Obviously, we all know that the director of a film is a huge deal, but the tiniest of the tiniest proportion of the GA knows the same. Don't allow your dislike of TLJ to blur your eyes to the way things are and always have been. Virtually no one outside of SW fandom or cinephile circles know or care who RJ is.

 

Yeah, but it's also been 13 months to the day since TLJ's release. That's more than enough time to rework any elements from RJ's trilogy as well as finding someone else to oversee it and/or direct the first film. Even the best directors have a bad movie every now and then. I think its more likely that LFL/Disney are just taking their time to make sure this trilogy will be the best it can be while also focusing most of their resources on Episode IX right now which is a much bigger concern at the moment. If JJ and crew knock Episode IX out of the park more people will be willing to this trilogy a chance.