WhileRogue Oneis still doing well at the box office, the eyes ofStar Warsfans are now starting to turn to the highly anticipatedStar Wars: Episode VIII. I don’t think we’ll get anything concrete on the film, whether it be an official image or the title, until at least April (Disney wantsRogue Oneto run unimpeded for as long as possible), so right now we’re a bit in the desert.
Thankfully, USA Today did a big 2017 preview piece where they were spoke to writer-directorRian Johnsonabout what’s in the works forEpisode VIII:
Remember thatStar Wars: The Force Awakenscliffhanger with new heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) bringing Jedi master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) his old lightsaber on a remote intergalactic island? Writer/director Rian Johnson is picking up right where they left off in the beginning of the Star Wars saga’s still-untitled next chapter. “I don’t want to skip ahead two years,” Johnson says. “I want to see the very next moment of what happens.” How Rey and Luke relate to each other is the key relationship in Episode VIII, and Johnson says “a large part of the movie” will be spent addressing why Luke’s there and what he’ll do next. Like Luke, Rey has been pulled into a bigger world by connecting with the Force, “but part of what’s she’s dealing with is the realization that she has this power and this gift,” Johnson adds. “She’s taking her first step to coming to terms with this thing inside her that she never knew was there and is just starting to reveal its potential.” Another cliffhanger: How General Leia might figure in the film in light of Carrie Fisher’s death last month.
What’s neat is that these are clearly only a couple components of a much bigger film. J.J. Abrams did an admirable job setting the table withThe Force Awakens, and now we’re invested in not only with what happens with Rey, Luke, and Leia, but also with Finn, Poe, BB-8, Chewbacca, and Kylo Ren. And perhaps there will even be room inEpisode VIIIfor Snoke to become interesting instead of just a new Emperor figure.
I also like thatEpisode VIIIis picking up right whereThe Force Awakensends. While I’m sure there’s a temptation to make it in the mold ofThe Empire Strikes Back, I like that Johnson is seeing his sequel as its own beast rather than making sure all of the echoes are in the right place.
