The journey he has embarked upon so far with The Last Jedi has clearly been illuminating for director Rian Johnson. Perhaps more than any director before him, Johnson is keen to shake up the firmaments of Star Wars and instead of steering it home to a final destination, opening it up to a future with no perceived horizon, something some fans will find difficult to cope with.
Johnson spoke recently at SXSW and the topic of shaking the tree and moving the goalposts was broached.
“The thing is, I don’t feel that the powers that be are pushing back on new or unprecedented stuff. Quite the contrary. I feel like Disney and Lucasfilm and Kathy are actively looking for filmmakers and voices that are going to push it forward because they know that’s the only way it can stay alive.
“When people ask me, ‘Don’t you think people are going to get sick of ‘Star Wars’ movies?’ to me that question indicates that they’re thinking of ‘Star Wars’ movies as a museum exhibit that is wheeled out once a year so you can say, ‘Oh, I loved that thing. Oh, I remember that thing!’ And yes, if ‘Star Wars’ is that, people are going to get sick of it really quickly.
“But if ‘Star Wars’ are great new movies that are exciting and fresh, and that challenge you and surprise you and make you feel things and engage you the way that those original movies did — but always taking you to new places, both in the galaxy and emotionally — that’s never going to get old. That’s what it’s all about.”
