Discussion: Rian Johnson at the Helm of a New Star Wars Trilogy

Irina de France wrote:Aaaand there's a live-action TV series in the works too.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/heat-vision/star-wars-rian-johnson-write-direct-new-trilogy-1056743

@Irina de France

I'm a little more apprehensive about a TV series. I don't know why...I guess I worry it may not "feel" as much like SW, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. Disney isn't stupid after all. I assume it would be geared toward all ages (like the movies) and not solely toward kids, or teens or adults.

snufkin wrote:Well how 'bout that, perhaps reason why he declined IX

Rian Johnson is creating an entirely new Star Wars trilogy

Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Johnson will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, the first of which he is also set to write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.

As writer-director of The Last Jedi, Johnson conceived and realized a powerful film of which Lucasfilm and Disney are immensely proud. In shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.

“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

Boy any traditionalists who end up hating him for TLJ are going to be screaming even more over this news. However for film nerds like this place, it bodes very well.

@snufkin



so.... both Kylo fanboys (Rian and Abrams) are back to finish what they start

Kessel wrote:

Irina de France wrote:Aaaand there's a live-action TV series in the works too.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/heat-vision/star-wars-rian-johnson-write-direct-new-trilogy-1056743

@Irina de France

I'm a little more apprehensive about a TV series. I don't know why...I guess I worry it may not "feel" as much like SW, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. Disney isn't stupid after all. I assume it would be geared toward all ages (like the movies) and not solely toward kids, or teens or adults.

@Kessel

I actually wonder if they would gear a live-action series to adults.  It would be a cheaper and less risky way to experiment with the possibility of a "mature" SW angle than immediately going for an R-rated SW would be.  They could play with a lot of nuance in an ongoing series like that.

I think... I have compassion for antis. *snerk*

They'll scream in terror in front of TLJ, clutching whatever's left of their pearls... than be faced with the horrible fact that they'll have to deal with Rian Johnson in their Star War for the next 15 years.

If that's not karma, I don't know what it is.

Irina de France wrote:I think... I have compassion for antis. *snerk*

They'll scream in terror in front of TLJ, clutching whatever's left of their pearls... than be faced with the horrible fact that they'll have to deal with Rian Johnson in their Star War for the next 15 years.

If that's not karma, I don't know what it is.

@Irina de France

This made me snicker. Karma's not nice when you aren't nice. Bless their hearts.

SoloSideCousin wrote:

IoJovi wrote:

shii405 wrote:

snufkin wrote:Well how 'bout that, perhaps reason why he declined IX

Rian Johnson is creating an entirely new Star Wars trilogy

Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Johnson will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, the first of which he is also set to write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.

As writer-director of The Last Jedi, Johnson conceived and realized a powerful film of which Lucasfilm and Disney are immensely proud. In shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.

“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”

“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”

Boy any traditionalists who end up hating him for TLJ are going to be screaming even more over this news. However for film nerds like this place, it bodes very well.

@snufkin

This means the Skywalker saga will end in Episode IX? Aww... I'm so sad T_T  
But I'm good with that, they need to expand Star Wars universe beyond the Skywalker family, I guess.

And, it will not close the possibility of a Solo/Skywalker to show up as a supporting character in the new trilogy, though.

@shii405

Me thinks we are indeed getting our HAPPILY EVER AFTER? I know a lot of people here are divided on that, but I can’t imagine they’d end this trilogy on a bitter sweet note if this is the actual end of the Skywalker saga, or if it won’t be explored again for many years. I have stated before I give an ovary or three, in exchange for Reylo babies and the stories that accompany them. Even if the possibility is left open for them at the end (in the same way RotJ left open the possibility of a child for Han and Leia) I’d be thrilled.

@IoJovi

I definitely want the Reylo babies as well! But not just when those kids are older. I am actually very interested in seeing a Reylo child or two. If this whole RawPowah thing is really going to go down, how powerful will their kids be? That would be its own struggle in and of itself. Rey and Kylo also would be on a learning curve parent-wise. They could take the kids in all kinds of directions. Also, if you get a good set of child actors (which is definitely possible given series like Harry Potter and Stranger Things and I assume in It as well, though I haven't seen it), they could make something like this work for them for like a decade or more. Kylo/Rey/Finn/Poe could eventually have supporting roles in the movies set on the kids ... and those kids could become the new trilogy. There are a lot of options here, and we have actually never seen any kids in the GFFA.

@SoloSideCousin

This would be my hope, as well. Plus, I'd like to see Rey and Kylo get a chance to correct the parenting mistakes that were made with them. I know that you have a daughter as well, and maybe you're seeing this with your peers, but definitely one of the themes that comes up in coversation with my daughter's friends' parents and my own friends with kids is how we're trying to avoid the mistakes made by our parents' generation. Rey and Kylo could take that to a whole new level...

There are other selfish reasons that I want to see Rey and Kylo come back in, say 10 years (rather than 20-30).... This trilogy largely feels like a "transition"/hand-off in many ways from the OT to the ST. I want to see Rey and Kylo get their own story and own chance to shine without any legacy or OT main characters looming in the background.

@armadeus - cautiously optimistic because I like Johnson is about right. OTOH, I loved Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and the financial/critical success of that book has sent him off on a self-indulgent spiral where both his subsequent novels and very weirdly public co-dependent relationship with his wife (count them as also people I take no issue with in terms of shared political and social views, just that their public personas proves that the only writer who knew how to air dirty laundry without wearing out your welcome was Carrie Fisher). My other experience as a music fan is being dismayed to see the constant churn of reunion band tours where it's clearly a cash grab (and tickets aren't cheap here in the States) because musicians got old and nostalgia is the easiest way to pay the bills. Like I remember seeing some of these bands when they were young, hungry, and gave a f**k about art. I had reservations about seeing TFA for that exact reason, I didn't need to fork over money to fund something which commodifies my sentimentality.

@RosiePancake - JJ gets grief because he's one of them who actually got into the clubhouse and is doing things which they feel breaks the rules he's "supposed" to follow as one of them. (because dudebros in the comments section know more than people who've spent their entire life studying the craft of writing). RJ will likely drive both them and film nerds, an equally pedantic group, up the wall for getting a sweetheart deal, and doing things with SW that threatens their childhood comfort food/centering as fans. Look at the freak outs over Kylo and Rey because these fellas haven't figured out yet that the male gaze and perspective is not being privileged in the ST.

Otherwise, @Darth Dingbat may be on to something if it turns out that Rey's the actual Force aristocracy in that fictional universe, with a legacy going back further than the nouveau riche Skywalkers.

Darth Dingbat wrote:Amazing news.

You know where my mind immediately went, though? That this new trilogy will have something to do with Rey's family (even if it goes far back in history). If she's something totally new, then they'll want to go big with that. Expand the galaxy with a bang, not just some tie-in novels and comics.

@Darth Dingbat

Oh yeah, my mind went there, too. Prana family trilogy?

In all seriousness, though, if Rian delved pretty deep into Force lore, we could be getting a trilogy set around that...set in ancient times. Or perhaps a trilogy set around some sort of Force user that we haven't seen (yet) in the movies that gets touched on in the Force History 101 lessons in TLJ.

snufkin wrote:@MrsWindu - he's been so careful to deny any involvement with IX that the speculation here has been that it's to do with the legal dispute over lost wages winding its way through court. Or that given whatever went down with Colin Trevorrow getting fired (gosh wonder how this announcement landed in his world?), he was careful to maintain a hands-off appearance because he didn't want to get involved in that situation. But this is obviously something they've been cooking up for awhile and is his long-term role with LF/Disney.

Otherwise, I think it's good news that they don't run any existing character into the ground, at least not right away. And they've clearly got some type of corporate strategy in the works with the Disney streaming platform (another example of their 19th century robber baron tendencies if you ask me), the theme park with immersive experience, comic book and novel publishing arms et cetera.

@snufkin

Have you seen the History Channel's series entitled The Men Who Built America? I'm reminded of that series about Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford...ruthless ambition to build empires which helps and hurts the "little people." Maybe they need to do a series about the Studios that Build the Entertainment Industry....

PalmettoBlue wrote:

snufkin wrote:@MrsWindu - he's been so careful to deny any involvement with IX that the speculation here has been that it's to do with the legal dispute over lost wages winding its way through court. Or that given whatever went down with Colin Trevorrow getting fired (gosh wonder how this announcement landed in his world?), he was careful to maintain a hands-off appearance because he didn't want to get involved in that situation. But this is obviously something they've been cooking up for awhile and is his long-term role with LF/Disney.

Otherwise, I think it's good news that they don't run any existing character into the ground, at least not right away. And they've clearly got some type of corporate strategy in the works with the Disney streaming platform (another example of their 19th century robber baron tendencies if you ask me), the theme park with immersive experience, comic book and novel publishing arms et cetera.

@snufkin

Have you seen the History Channel's series entitled The Men Who Built America? I'm reminded of that series about Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford...ruthless ambition to build empires which helps and hurts the "little people." Maybe they need to do a series about the Studios that Build the Entertainment Industry....

@PalmettoBlue

I haven't, but will keep an eye out! I did just watch the recent American Experience documentary on Walt Disney. Uncle Walt was a patriarchal union buster who had no problem with unequal pay for equal work (kind of like Steve Jobs) who had no problem firing his employees for organizing. Or ratting them out to the HUAC during the McCarthy hearings. And the entire history behind the studio system (which right now is finally having the cover blown off of casting couch behavior that goes back to the 1930s) is rife with those type of stories.

Well if they're going to milk Star Wars universe it's better that they come up with something new, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel with Jabba prequel or whatever. I'll also be happy to take a break from the Skywalker saga after the ST is wrapped up.

Saracene wrote:Well if they're going to milk Star Wars universe it's better that they come up with something new, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel with Jabba prequel or whatever. I'll also be happy to take a break from the Skywalker saga after the ST is wrapped up.

@Saracene

And, most importantly, by the sound of it, it won't be an OT tie-in. he says "unexplored corner of the galaxy" so no Outer Rim and Core Worlds where OT was set in.

That said, while I'm hyped I'm not as hyped as I would be if they announced X-XII with Rey and Kylo.

vaderito wrote:

Saracene wrote:Well if they're going to milk Star Wars universe it's better that they come up with something new, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel with Jabba prequel or whatever. I'll also be happy to take a break from the Skywalker saga after the ST is wrapped up.

@Saracene

And, most importantly, by the sound of it, it won't be an OT tie-in. he says "unexplored corner of the galaxy" so no Outer Rim and Core Worlds where OT was set in.

That said, while I'm hyped I'm not as hyped as I would be if they announced X-XII with Rey and Kylo.

@vaderito

To be honest I'd be totally happy for this trilogy to wrap up Rey and Kylo's story and leave the characters alone. I really can't see what stories they can tell about them that can match the drama of this trilogy. Send them off to a happy or not happy ending, and be done.

vaderito wrote:

Saracene wrote:Well if they're going to milk Star Wars universe it's better that they come up with something new, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel with Jabba prequel or whatever. I'll also be happy to take a break from the Skywalker saga after the ST is wrapped up.

@Saracene

And, most importantly, by the sound of it, it won't be an OT tie-in. he says "unexplored corner of the galaxy" so no Outer Rim and Core Worlds where OT was set in.

That said, while I'm hyped I'm not as hyped as I would be if they announced X-XII with Rey and Kylo.

@vaderito

They can't announce anything like that until after IX is released, as they won't want to give away anything about the main characters' fate until the ST concludes.

I am just so impressed by the level of trust that LF/Disney are placing on Rian Johnson and his vision. After watching the TLJ trailer I felt ep 8 could turn out to be the best Star Wars movie to date,  and after hearing this news I'm more convinced that they think that is the case. They really must feel they have a masterpiece on their hands. We won't know until we watch it, but honestly going by Rian's comments and the marketing of TLJ this bodes very well for Reylos.

PalmettoBlue wrote:

snufkin wrote:@MrsWindu - he's been so careful to deny any involvement with IX that the speculation here has been that it's to do with the legal dispute over lost wages winding its way through court. Or that given whatever went down with Colin Trevorrow getting fired (gosh wonder how this announcement landed in his world?), he was careful to maintain a hands-off appearance because he didn't want to get involved in that situation. But this is obviously something they've been cooking up for awhile and is his long-term role with LF/Disney.

Otherwise, I think it's good news that they don't run any existing character into the ground, at least not right away. And they've clearly got some type of corporate strategy in the works with the Disney streaming platform (another example of their 19th century robber baron tendencies if you ask me), the theme park with immersive experience, comic book and novel publishing arms et cetera.

@snufkin

Have you seen the History Channel's series entitled The Men Who Built America? I'm reminded of that series about Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford...ruthless ambition to build empires which helps and hurts the "little people." Maybe they need to do a series about the Studios that Build the Entertainment Industry....

@PalmettoBlue

I love that series! I actually went to The Breakers last spring, the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport RI, and it was amaaaaaazing. Highly recommend if you're into history and especially the gilded age - and if you love briny oysters as much as I do lol. It was awesome to watch that series on the History Channel after actually walking around Commodore Vanderbilt's opulent bedroom - like seriously, gold on the walls and ceilings?

I also liked the story of Rockefeller - amazing how someone can become transformed by power and greed in that way. My favorite of the "men who built America" is actually Andrew Carnegie. Really worth watching if you're into that. And yes, they should make a "the studios that built Hollywood" type deal, I'd watch the hell out of that.

A new trilogy in a new galaxy with new characters. How is that Star Wars? How do we know it's not a spin-off of Dune?

Saracene wrote:

vaderito wrote:

Saracene wrote:Well if they're going to milk Star Wars universe it's better that they come up with something new, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel with Jabba prequel or whatever. I'll also be happy to take a break from the Skywalker saga after the ST is wrapped up.

@Saracene

And, most importantly, by the sound of it, it won't be an OT tie-in. he says "unexplored corner of the galaxy" so no Outer Rim and Core Worlds where OT was set in.

That said, while I'm hyped I'm not as hyped as I would be if they announced X-XII with Rey and Kylo.

@vaderito

To be honest I'd be totally happy for this trilogy to wrap up Rey and Kylo's story and leave the characters alone. I really can't see what stories they can tell about them that can match the drama of this trilogy. Send them off to a happy or not happy ending, and be done.

@Saracene

I could see story abou their kids as @IoJovi rightly pointed out. Rey and rest of the characters will continue, so somehow their stories will continue. If this is the end fir Rey and Kylo definitely needs to be a happy ending. We had a dark one, bittersweet with Han/Leia and Luke/Anakin.

"Pablo Hidalgo is listening intently to you point." He can be salty, snarky but oh damn he can be funny too.

Also, after recent scandals, someone truly worthy of trending for a good reason not the bad ones.

Darth Rowan wrote:I am just so impressed by the level of trust that LF/Disney are placing on Rian Johnson and his vision. After watching the TLJ trailer I felt ep 8 could turn out to be the best Star Wars movie to date,  and after hearing this news I'm more convinced that they think that is the case. They really must feel they have a masterpiece on their hands. We won't know until we watch it, but honestly going by Rian's comments and the marketing of TLJ this bodes very well for Reylos.

PalmettoBlue wrote:

snufkin wrote:@MrsWindu - he's been so careful to deny any involvement with IX that the speculation here has been that it's to do with the legal dispute over lost wages winding its way through court. Or that given whatever went down with Colin Trevorrow getting fired (gosh wonder how this announcement landed in his world?), he was careful to maintain a hands-off appearance because he didn't want to get involved in that situation. But this is obviously something they've been cooking up for awhile and is his long-term role with LF/Disney.

Otherwise, I think it's good news that they don't run any existing character into the ground, at least not right away. And they've clearly got some type of corporate strategy in the works with the Disney streaming platform (another example of their 19th century robber baron tendencies if you ask me), the theme park with immersive experience, comic book and novel publishing arms et cetera.

@snufkin

Have you seen the History Channel's series entitled The Men Who Built America? I'm reminded of that series about Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford...ruthless ambition to build empires which helps and hurts the "little people." Maybe they need to do a series about the Studios that Build the Entertainment Industry....

@PalmettoBlue

I love that series! I actually went to The Breakers last spring, the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport RI, and it was amaaaaaazing. Highly recommend if you're into history and especially the gilded age - and if you love briny oysters as much as I do lol. It was awesome to watch that series on the History Channel after actually walking around Commodore Vanderbilt's opulent bedroom - like seriously, gold on the walls and ceilings?

I also liked the story of Rockefeller - amazing how someone can become transformed by power and greed in that way. My favorite of the "men who built America" is actually Andrew Carnegie. Really worth watching if you're into that. And yes, they should make a "the studios that built Hollywood" type deal, I'd watch the hell out of that.

@Darth Rowan

Heh. You could say I'm into history - I teach it for a living. And beyond that, I'm an Americanist. #historynerd #historyislife #givemethehistory If I find myself in that area of the country, I will DEFINITELY check out the Breakers. A friend of mine works at Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion in Asheville, NC, and I keep swearing that I'm going to get up there to visit one weekend. In college, I supported myself as a docent (tour guide) at one of the historic homes in Charleston. If I didn't love modern conveniences and voting so much, I'd think I'd been born in the wrong century.

But yeah - seeing the interconnected nature of everything is really my jam. We wouldn't have the intercontinental railroad without Leland Stanford as well as the men who toiled to build it and paid for it with their blood. Stanford paid with treasure.

AND...I'm off topic totally. Back to Star Wars....

Any ideas when they'll let us know what area of the galaxy that Rian Johnson will be exploring? After TLJ, obviously, but I wonder if they would be ready after 9. He takes quite a bit of time to write his movies, so he might need another year to get this ready to roll.

DarthRen wrote:"Pablo Hidalgo is listening intently to you point." He can be salty, snarky but oh damn he can be funny too.

Also, after recent scandals, someone truly worthy of trending for a good reason not the bad ones.

@DarthRen

Pablo sucks up to Rian a lot. What happens if JJ gets to do X-XII? Pablo will fall on his own sword.

vaderito wrote:

DarthRen wrote:"Pablo Hidalgo is listening intently to you point." He can be salty, snarky but oh damn he can be funny too.

Also, after recent scandals, someone truly worthy of trending for a good reason not the bad ones.

@DarthRen

Pablo sucks up to Rian a lot. What happens if JJ gets to do X-XII? Pablo will fall on his own sword.

@vaderito

He just likes him and his work better. Can't blame him, he his own opinion. It might not be mine or yours but it's worthy of respecting it.

DarthRen wrote:I could see story abou their kids as @IoJovi rightly pointed out. Rey and rest of the characters will continue, so somehow their stories will continue. If this is the end fir Rey and Kylo definitely needs to be a happy ending. We had a dark one, bittersweet with Han/Leia and Luke/Anakin.

@DarthRen

Sure, I could see more stories about the Skywalker family in the future. I'm just not sure I want to see more of father issues, struggling with the dark heritage, more Skywalkers falling to the dark side and getting redeemed, etc. etc. At least not for a while.

ISeeAnIsland wrote:
This would be my hope, as well.  Plus, I'd like to see Rey and Kylo get a chance to correct the parenting mistakes that were made with them.  I know that you have a daughter as well, and maybe you're seeing this with your peers, but definitely one of the themes that comes up in coversation with my daughter's friends' parents and my own friends with kids is how we're trying to avoid the mistakes made by our parents' generation. Rey and Kylo could take that to a whole new level...

There are other selfish reasons that I want to see Rey and Kylo come back in, say 10 years (rather than 20-30)....  This trilogy largely feels like a "transition"/hand-off in many ways from the OT to the ST. I want to see Rey and Kylo get their own story and own chance to shine without any legacy or OT main characters looming in the background.

@ISeeAnIsland

I really want to see a happy "Skywalker" family. I think since their similarities are being highlighted and they are Force equals, Rey and Kylo could have the fairytale ending (in a Star Warsy, "Oops, I've hurt people you care about, but we're gonna let the past die," kinda way )
That could put an end to the Skywalker family saga though The Solo kids would have to find some wild adventures in the sequels for the series to continue...

Upon hearing the news of Rian's "trilogy" all I could think was that I would love if this trilogy was the last one about the Skywalkers for 10 years. They can make other trilogies in the meantime about other characters + standalones, but thinking about it monetarily I've always thought over-saturating the market with Skywalker sagas might not be the best idea, like over-saturating the market with Disney "princess" movies. They make other films in between. IMO, this is the best "long-term" plan for LucasFilm. It keeps the Skywalker sagas fresh and hyped.

This is the first time I feel like I understand Kathleen Kennedy's vision for the franchise. She wants to continue what Lucas started, making generational sagas about the Skywalkers while releasing other trilogies and standalones in the gaps between "main" trilogies.

I'm glad that we will have so many SW movies, I'm glad RJ will do it, but they say it's and of Skywalker era, that means no more Skywalker/solos?

one of the strongest argument for reylo was the need of new generation and Kylo is last member of Skywalker bloodline, so he should have kids... now it isn't needed anymore... to be realistic, do you think it means there wont be reylo?
if they are planning reylo why would they refuse to have story about super force sensitive generation, with both forcesensitive parents?