The Rise of Skywalker JJ Abrams is Writing and Directing Episode IX

[DarthSkywalker]

Did yall see this tweet:



Sounds like Rian just stuck with JJ's original idea, or if anything backed off of JJ's idea, because a Col. Kurtz Luke would have been a darker more unhinged type Luke. It would explain where all those supposed leaks and rumors came from, during TFA's production, about Luke being dark side or a more sinister character. I'd love to see all the early story notes. If Disney ever gets off its ass and releases the making-of book that theyve got locked away in their vault.

Luke's eyes in that concept art are unnerving for some reason.

The dark Luke stuff came from the use of Luke as a stand in for multiple things, including Kylo and Finn. That is why people though the Kylo art was Luke. They used Hamill's likeness.

Luke had some crazy concept art, but the idea was he was in a lot of pain and hiding for a reason. And not simply that he left, but there was a reason he couldn't leave where he was. Perhaps even punishing himself. There was one where he was buried in sand up to his neck.

 

[Marvolo]

I think the worst concept for Luke was...

 

[Tony Stark]

JJ had no plans past TFA, it's the same thing he did with Lost and just about every other film he's worked on. Setup some nebulous mystery, in this case Luke has disappeared and there's a secret map to him and have no way to resolve it.

 

[harlequinade]

It is truly baffling to me how they didn't outline the whole new trilogy before TFA and they are just doing....this

 

[titansupes]

JJ had no plans past TFA, it's the same thing he did with Lost and just about every other film he's worked on. Setup some nebulous mystery, in this case Luke has disappeared and there's a secret map to him and have no way to resolve it.

Both Hamill and Ridley-- and I think Pegg-- have said that he left treatments for VIII and IX to show where he saw it going, but it was always going to be up to the next directors to decide what they did with them.

 

[TheVileOne]

I mean define treatments? Did he actually set up what he wanted or where they think they should go? It doesn't seem like he really cared that much about what would happen after Force Awakens.

 

[Tony Stark]

Both Hamill and Ridley-- and I think Pegg-- have said that he left treatments for VIII and IX to show where he saw it going, but it was always going to be up to the next directors to decide what they did with them.

The script writing should have never been left up to the directors, that's a recipe for failure.

 

[TheVileOne]

The script writing should have never been left up to the directors, that's a recipe for failure.

Not really. It just didn't work out this time. Joss Whedon threw out everything Zak Penn did for Avengers and rewrote the movie into what we ultimately got today. Apparently did a page 1 rewrite, so Penn only got a story credit and not a written by credit.

I think Marvel's main requests were to have a Hulk/Thor fight in the middle and have the team all come together with a big battle at the end.

 

[titansupes]

The script writing should have never been left up to the directors, that's a recipe for failure.

How so? A lot of directors are screenwriters, too. And even the ones who aren't always have a direct impact on the scripts via meetings and note, even if they're not the ones at the keyboard.

 

[TheVileOne]

I agree it's a strange blanket statement to make.

 

[Brother Jack]

Not really. It just didn't work out this time. Joss Whedon threw out everything Zak Penn did for Avengers and rewrote the movie into what we ultimately got today. Apparently did a page 1 rewrite, so Penn only got a story credit and not a written by credit.

I'm going to reserve judgement on that until after IX is out and this trilogy is finished. But I'm one that doesn't really find any story-breaking discrepancies between VII and VIII.

 

[Tony Stark]

I agree it's a strange blanket statement to make.

For Star Wars it doesn't work and clearly the negative reaction to TLJ is proof of that.

 

[Spider-Fan]

So it didn't work for A New Hope? Oh and guess who got a writing credit for Episode VII? JJ Abrams. So it didn't work for people then?

Or are we just making things up because we didn't like Episode VIII?

 

[Marvolo]

Some of cinemas greatest films, and many good films, were written by or partially written by the director. And there are the numerous good films that had directors with final say over the edit.

 

[TheVileOne]

So it didn't work for A New Hope? Oh and guess who got a writing credit for Episode VII? JJ Abrams. So it didn't work for people then?

Or are we just making things up because we didn't like Episode VIII?

Yup. Abrams and Kasdan basically did a page 1 rewrite from Michael Arndt in about six months. Granted, they were a little rushed to make the December 2015 release date that was put on them by Disney.

 

[Frodo]

I've got zero issue with the director writing the SW films.

I think regardless of whether or not JJ had ideas about what 8 should be, it was gonna be Johnson's show. Kennedy let him tell the story he wanted to tell and she clearly liked it the way she liked TFA.

I don't think that somehow that Johnson's being allowed to write and direct somehow implies that JJ didn't have any ideas, suggestions or notes about what could happen. I tend to think given some of the statements the JJ did at the very least have some ideas of how the rest of the story could play out. Whether JJ had an idea of how he felt it should play out, who knows.

At the same time, the existence of JJ's ideas for 8 didn't mean that the producers were obligated to go with them.
With Abrams off of 8, it really wouldn't be his call anyway, even if he had an outline of how he want the saga to proceed.

He wasn't going to dictate to Johnson what he could or couldn't do. Johnson went in the direction he wanted to go and Kennedy clearly agreed with it.

 

[TheVileOne]

Before Episode 8 came out, no one had a problem with that idea. Everyone was worried that Lucasfilm were hampering the directors' creative vision and not giving them enough control. The fan backlash against Force Awakens and Rogue One started to rise.

Then after Episode 8 came out, people whined that they let Johnson do whatever he wanted.

 

[Frodo]

I've found that these SW films , since ESB , tend to get a brief honeymoon period, and then gets analyzed, torn apart and bashed. Despite what alot of fans think today, TPM did get a positive reception at first though the cracks started showing.

I remember being critical of TFA here and getting pretty aggressive push back , and my position was the minority one.

A year later, there was alot more criticisms of TFA and JJ and hopes that the next one would "take risks". TLJ was a bit different in that it was pretty split since opening weekend as far as fandom goes.

So its gone all over the place . From my standpoint, I think its difficult to have a single story over a trilogy of films in which you have each director / writer doing there own thing and taking the story in any direction they please. You're gonna have conflicting ideas or filmmakers who's visions don't gel.

That model actually works with the spin off / anthology films because they're basically one shots not really related to each other. Its easier to have writer/director driven one shot films than it is to have several different writer/directors in a trilogy each being allowed to take the story in the direction they see fit without having to be totally accountable to what the previous person did before.

Now , someone's perspective on this is gonna depend on whether they liked the results. Now me, I haven't been crazy about either TFA or TLJ . I give TFA a B and TLJ a B- . Both films have aspects and things I like about them but judging the whole of each film I haven't been in love with them as alot of people have been. They aren't my jam.

So for me, its not so much about the idea of a writer/director having creative freedom, but about the both films overall really not doing it for me. It don't mind so much Abrams and Johnson having creative freedom in concept.

 

[Iceman]

How powerful is Rey going to be in the final fight of IX? You’d hope she’d have some serious skills by then.

 

[Silver Surfer]

How powerful is Rey going to be in the final fight of IX? You’d hope she’d have some serious skills by then.

Well considering the first time she picked up a lightsaber, she mopped the floor with Kylo, and in the second lightsaber fight of her life, she killed half of Snoke's elite guards. How much better can she really get?

 

[Tony Stark]

I've found that these SW films , since ESB , tend to get a brief honeymoon period, and then gets analyzed, torn apart and bashed. Despite what alot of fans think today, TPM did get a positive reception at first though the cracks started showing.

I remember being critical of TFA here and getting pretty aggressive push back , and my position was the minority one.

A year later, there was alot more criticisms of TFA and JJ and hopes that the next one would "take risks". TLJ was a bit different in that it was pretty split since opening weekend as far as fandom goes.

So its gone all over the place . From my standpoint, I think its difficult to have a single story over a trilogy of films in which you have each director / writer doing there own thing and taking the story in any direction they please. You're gonna have conflicting ideas or filmmakers who's visions don't gel.

That model actually works with the spin off / anthology films because they're basically one shots not really related to each other. Its easier to have writer/director driven one shot films than it is to have several different writer/directors in a trilogy each being allowed to take the story in the direction they see fit without having to be totally accountable to what the previous person did before.

Now , someone's perspective on this is gonna depend on whether they liked the results. Now me, I haven't been crazy about either TFA or TLJ . I give TFA a B and TLJ a B- . Both films have aspects and things I like about them but judging the whole of each film I haven't been in love with them as alot of people have been. They aren't my jam.

So for me, its not so much about the idea of a writer/director having creative freedom, but about the both films overall really not doing it for me. It don't mind so much Abrams and Johnson having creative freedom in concept.

I loved TFA, but the criticisms of it were fair. It was essentially a remake/sequel as it follows the formula of ANH, with enough new elements to feed people's appetite.

For me the movies went downhill from there. Rogue One was OK with some spectacular visuals, but not great, had some script pacing problems and reshooting Forrest Whittaker's character scenes were strange to say the least.

TLJ was a mess and I cant believe the critic reviews for it, they must have been blind. The space equivalent of OJ Simpsons white Ford Bronco chase on screen is not my idea of a compelling Star Wars film. Plus the slaughtering of Luke's character to the point where Hammil was protesting and no one intervened.

But the worst attrocity of all was Solo which is just an absolute train wreck of a film that should have just been scrapped.

Hopefully Episode IX gets things on track but it's amazing to me how in 4 films Kathleen Kennedy and company had captured the world's imagination and seemingly in 4 years destroyed all that good will.

 

[Marvolo]

Well considering the first time she picked up a lightsaber, she mopped the floor with Kylo, and in the second lightsaber fight of her life, she killed half of Snoke's elite guards. How much better can she really get?

Much better. Her saber skills in the Throne room were sloppy at best. Just wild slashes and stabs and reacting with rage and fear. She had no real style or flow or control. Kylo showed a lot more skill and flow in that scene. And in TFA she was absolute ****, sweeping wildly and in constant retreat, until she let the Force take control, but even after that she only demonstrated basic skills.

Honestly posts like yours make me wonder if yall have watched any quality sword fights in film or seen what fully trained jedi are capable of with a lightsaber. Yall act like just barely surviving means she is a master swordsman. Rey's very much a novice in TFA and TLJ. Without the Force and Kylo's own help in TLJ and his weaknesses and injuries in TFA she'd have been dead.

Personally I hope JJ starts moving Rey more toward the elegant choreography of the prequels. Not so pretty and fancy as the PT fights but much more polished than the previous two films. I want to see an actual fighting style for Rey. I want to see her using the Force during a lightsaber fight doing some superhuman maneuvering and acrobatics. Force pushing and pulling. Basically, I want her to fight like a Jedi. Not like a standard human with a sword.

 

[Brother Jack]

Much better. Her sabre skills in the Throne room were sloppy at best. Just wild slashes and stabs and reacting with rage and fear. She had no real style or flow or control. Kylo showed a lot more skill and flow in that scene. And in TFA she was absolute ****, sweeping wildly and in constant retreat, until she let the Force take control, but even after that she only demonstrated basic skills.

The fight choreography reflects her proficiency with the staff. A lot of wide swings and jabs.

 

[Madam-Shogun]

I loved TFA, but the criticisms of it were fair. It was essentially a remake/sequel as it follows the formula of ANH, with enough new elements to feed people's appetite.

For me the movies went downhill from there. Rogue One was OK with some spectacular visuals, but not great, had some script pacing problems and reshooting Forrest Whittaker's character scenes were strange to say the least.

TLJ was a mess and I cant believe the critic reviews for it, they must have been blind. The space equivalent of OJ Simpsons white Ford Bronco chase on screen is not my idea of a compelling Star Wars film. Plus the slaughtering of Luke's character to the point where Hammil was protesting and no one intervened.

But the worst attrocity of all was Solo which is just an absolute train wreck of a film that should have just been scrapped.

Hopefully Episode IX gets things on track but it's amazing to me how in 4 films Kathleen Kennedy and company had captured the world's imagination and seemingly in 4 years destroyed all that good will.

Frankly I prefere both SOLO and Rogue One to both TFA, and TLJ easily.

 

[Thome216]

I too will give credit that TFA was not the most original of works. I was hoping for something a little less hokum as a 'treasure' map and a super-duper-humongoid new death star. That being said, I like it for what it is, a nostalgia boost and leads to a new SW future - which I think were ultimately squandered by Johnson.

The fight choreography reflects her proficiency with the staff. A lot of wide swings and jabs.

My thoughts as well. The staff was her main weapon of choice so it would fit that she would carry that fighting style over to the 'saber merely out of habit. Also keep in mind that we don't know if Rey even had a formal training with the staff. She may have had to teach herself as she grew. So, proficient but not polished.

For the next movie, I'm hoping she has rebuilt Luke's 'saber into a staff saber similar to Darth Maul's.