Rian Johnson On ‘Star Wars’ Fandom And Why ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ Resonates With Him
Star Wars: The Last Jediwriter/directorRian Johnsonis still in the early stages of writing his upcomingStar Warsspin-off trilogy, but as we wait to discover what he has in store for the future of a galaxy far, far away, Johnson participated in an interview in which he reflected on arguably the most beloved film in the franchise and the state ofStar Warsfandom as it exists today. Read his comments below.
Johnson’s upcoming murder mysteryKnives Outreceived arapturous responsewhen it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, but a recent interview withUproxxeventually circled around to someStar Warstalk.
“As a kid, I distinctly remember being disappointed byThe Empire Strikes Back,” he said. “That was my first one. I think my dad took me when I wasreallyyoung to seeA New Hope. Yeah, no, I remember, especially in the context ofReturn of the Jedi, which as a kid I adored. And so, yeah, I remember very vividly [thatEmpirewas polarizing for years]. But thenEmpireslowly became my favorite one.”
When the interviewer said he remembered seeing it as a kid and being disappointed that it wasn’t as fun as he expected, Johnson agreed, while also working in his thoughts aboutStar Warsfandom at large:
“Yeah. It sticks. That’s why that’s the one that, even though at that time I had that reaction to it, it stuck in me and it resonated with me. I remember the Prequels, that acrimony of the prequels. I think people forget exactly the tenor of the danger. We remember because we were in the thick of it. So, I mean, I don’t know. I think that anything with a passionate following always has a passionate following andStar Warsis that, even more so. You can’t be angry at one side of it when it’s also the reason the positive is so passionate, you know? It’s all part of the same thing and it always was like this basic thing. That’s why I love it.”
I remember him saying something similar in the wake of the response toThe Last Jedi(some of which was propagated by Russian trolls), and even after all of the noise surrounding Johnson and his movie, it’s clear to me that the noise hasn’t killed his enthusiasm for these films. And while I can’t wait to see what he does with those upcoming spin-offs, I’m even more excited aboutKnives Out(andits potentially follow-ups!).Knives Outhits theaters onNovember 27, 2019.
