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

[BatLobster]

Man, he's saying the right things. I love the viewpoint of this being a culmination; I love that resolving the whole saga is front and center in his mind. JJ seems to appreciate the gravity of the story that he's holding, and the fact that he's apprehensively telling people he thinks this could be special.... well, it's exciting.

Yes! I could hug JJ right now for everything he's saying. This is kind of the stuff I wish I was hearing more of from the onset of this new trilogy, but I know at first there seemed to be a conscious move from Disney to not overtly remind people of the prequels and focus more on the similarities in tone and feel to the OT. But I'm glad he recognizes the great opportunity that's there to culminate this unprecedented 3 trilogy mega-arc.

I especially love how he's basically hinting that some of George's old ideas about where this could all go have been taken to heart. Maybe this trilogy isn't beat for beat what George would've done, but I do believe the spirit of his ideas and some of the broader strokes have been in there all along.

 

[TheVileOne]

Just want to put this forth to all the fans who believe Rian Johnson essentially threw away everything Abrams had planned or wanted to do with future stories.

J.J. Abrams, Star Wars Superfan, on Directing The Force Awakens

“The script for VIII is written. I’m sure rewrites are going to be endless, like they always are. But what Larry and I did was set up certain key relationships, certain key questions, conflicts. And we knew where certain things were going. We had meetings with Rian and Ram Bergman, the producer of VIII. They were watching dailies when we were shooting our movie. We wanted them to be part of the process, to make the transition to their film as seamless as possible.”

“Rian has asked for a couple of things here and there that he needs for his story. He is an incredibly accomplished filmmaker and an incredibly strong writer. So the story he told took what we were doing and went in the direction that he felt was best but that is very much in line with what we were thinking as well. But you’re right—that will be his movie; he’s going to do it in the way he sees fit. He’s neither asking for nor does he need me to oversee the process.”

 

[Adhesive Boy]

Just want to put this forth to all the fans who believe Rian Johnson essentially threw away everything Abrams had planned or wanted to do with future stories.

J.J. Abrams, Star Wars Superfan, on Directing The Force Awakens

To say that Johnson threw everything away would be very hyperbolic but there's very clear dissonance between their views. Just the fact that Abrams wanted to end TFA with a shot of Luke elevating a bunch of very large boulders puts him in a very different place than Johnson's version that's completely cut off from the Force. The very notion that you know you're making a movie trilogy and such important information on key characters isn't already established before the first film starts shooting is laughable.

There's also Kylo Ren, who was supposed to have training, but just ended up having to execute one person after he's already guilty of genocide and murder, with Snoke doing most of the work anyway. To call that training is laughable. It's just getting rid of a rival. The main interesting part of him, being that he's torn between the light and the dark, was all but done away with as well.

I don't know Abrams' actual intent with Rey's parents but the memories don't fit great with the description of them we get in TLJ. If they were on the same page they both utterly wasted valuable screen time on a storyline that really had its conclusion when Rey met Maz.

The list goes on so even if they took steps to be on the same page they failed pretty badly. They are reaching as much inconsistency with 2 movies as Marvel does with 20.

 

[TheVileOne]

To say that Johnson threw everything away would be very hyperbolic but there's very clear dissonance between their views. Just the fact that Abrams wanted to end TFA with a shot of Luke elevating a bunch of very large boulders puts him in a very different place than Johnson's version that's completely cut off from the Force. The very notion that you know you're making a movie trilogy and such important information on key characters isn't already established before the first film starts shooting is laughable.

There's also Kylo Ren, who was supposed to have training, but just ended up having to execute one person after he's already guilty of genocide and murder, with Snoke doing most of the work anyway. To call that training is laughable. It's just getting rid of a rival. The main interesting part of him, being that he's torn between the light and the dark, was all but done away with as well.

I don't know Abrams' actual intent with Rey's parents but the memories don't fit great with the description of them we get in TLJ. If they were on the same page they both utterly wasted valuable screen time on a storyline that really had its conclusion when Rey met Maz.

The list goes on so even if they took steps to be on the same page they failed pretty badly. They are reaching as much inconsistency with 2 movies as Marvel does with 20.

If Abrams wanted to end it that way...WHY DIDN'T HE?!

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

If Abrams wanted to end it that way...WHY DIDN'T HE?!

I think the other poster was a bit off on the details as it was Rian that told Hamill that there would be floating boulders at the end of TFA, and then that was changed somewhere during post production. I have no idea why Rian would have a different view for that scene so late in the game as it's not at all consistent with the actual arc Luke has in TLJ, but Hamill did tell of this change back when he was vocal about his issues with the script.

One would however assume that Abrams was on board with how TFA was first planned to end, and quite possibly was the one that came up with that idea. I just haven't seen a source that outright has him saying that he didn't get what he wanted.

 

[TheVileOne]

I think the other poster was a bit off on the details as it was Rian that told Hamill that there would be floating boulders at the end of TFA, and then that was changed somewhere during post production. I have no idea why Rian would have a different view for that scene so late in the game as it's not at all consistent with the actual arc Luke has in TLJ, but Hamill did tell of this change back when he was vocal about his issues with the script.

One would however assume that Abrams was on board with how TFA was first planned to end, and quite possibly was the one that came up with that idea. I just haven't seen a source that outright has him saying that he didn't get what he wanted.

To me there's clearly a lot of fan revisionist history and fans twisting the facts or outright making things up in their minds to suit their own Star Wars narrative. What I posted came straight from Abrams' own mouth.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

To me there's clearly a lot of fan revisionist history and fans twisting the facts or outright making things up in their minds to suit their own Star Wars narrative. What I posted came straight from Abrams' own mouth.

That definitely happens, but if we're talking about that we can't forget that people working for a film company will be like other business people and naturally say things that sound good to sell their product. I'm not saying that anything you posted is untrue, I'm just saying that skepticism must go both ways on a general basis. That's also why it was so surprising to hear Hamill say such negative things early on as that's bad publicity and Lucasfilm can't have been happy at all with that.

In the end it's not of extreme importance how things were made, it's the result that matters and there is no narrative that changes what that result is.

 

[TheVileOne]

That definitely happens, but if we're talking about that we can't forget that people working for a film company will be like other business people and naturally say things that sound good to sell their product. I'm not saying that anything you posted is untrue, I'm just saying that skepticism must go both ways on a general basis. That's also why it was so surprising to hear Hamill say such negative things early on as that's bad publicity and Lucasfilm can't have been happy at all with that.

In the end it's not of extreme importance how things were made, it's the result that matters and there is no narrative that changes what that result is.

I just can't buy into the idea of Abrams changing that ending if he wasn't ultimately OK with changing it that way.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I just can't buy into the idea of Abrams changing that ending if he wasn't ultimately OK with changing it that way.

I don't think Adhesive Boy was talking about him being forced but the point that there were different ideas on it. Clearly Hamill was told one thing while shooting and then something different ended up in the film and in the sequel that presented his character in a very different light.

No that a director being forced to do something is very odd in the film business. The lead producer is the one with the most power on a film production and can certainly tell the director what to do if he deems it necessary. It happens all the time and both for good and bad. Directors with free reins are few and far between.

 

[titansupes]

I think the other poster was a bit off on the details as it was Rian that told Hamill that there would be floating boulders at the end of TFA, and then that was changed somewhere during post production. I have no idea why Rian would have a different view for that scene so late in the game as it's not at all consistent with the actual arc Luke has in TLJ, but Hamill did tell of this change back when he was vocal about his issues with the script.

One would however assume that Abrams was on board with how TFA was first planned to end, and quite possibly was the one that came up with that idea. I just haven't seen a source that outright has him saying that he didn't get what he wanted.

Other way around-- JJ had floating boulders for the end of TFA, which they took out once Rian's script was ready.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Other way around-- JJ had floating boulders for the end of TFA, which they took out once Rian's script was ready.

Hamill said he was told by Rian that it would be that way. There are many sites that rapport on that but here's the original interview where it's from, starting at 5:14.

星球大战 最后的绝地武士 主创专访-星球大战：最后的绝地武士-Star Wars: The Last Jedi-Mtime时光网

 

[titansupes]

Hamill said he was told by Rian that it would be that way. There are many sites that rapport on that but here's the original interview where it's from, starting at 5:14.

星球大战 最后的绝地武士 主创专访-星球大战：最后的绝地武士-Star Wars: The Last Jedi-Mtime时光网

Ah, touche.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I think the other poster was a bit off on the details as it was Rian that told Hamill that there would be floating boulders at the end of TFA, and then that was changed somewhere during post production. I have no idea why Rian would have a different view for that scene so late in the game as it's not at all consistent with the actual arc Luke has in TLJ, but Hamill did tell of this change back when he was vocal about his issues with the script.

One would however assume that Abrams was on board with how TFA was first planned to end, and quite possibly was the one that came up with that idea. I just haven't seen a source that outright has him saying that he didn't get what he wanted.

Oh, like Rian understands a consistent arc over multiple films.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Oh, like Rian understands a consistent arc over multiple films.

The issue there isn't even about an arc over multiple films, it's that he was part of the decision making for that scene (he used the word "we" when talking to Hamill) and that his plans at that time was to show Luke being very strong in the force, despite that he was already well underway of writing the TLJ script. The change to not have those floating boulders didn't come until some time during TFA post production, so it seems like Rian decided on Luke's characterization quite late into the script writing.

 

[TheVileOne]

I don't think Adhesive Boy was talking about him being forced but the point that there were different ideas on it. Clearly Hamill was told one thing while shooting and then something different ended up in the film and in the sequel that presented his character in a very different light.

No that a director being forced to do something is very odd in the film business. The lead producer is the one with the most power on a film production and can certainly tell the director what to do if he deems it necessary. It happens all the time and both for good and bad. Directors with free reins are few and far between.

I disagree. It's not clear at all. The script reading session suggests the ending in the script was the one in the final film. I've seen no evidence anywhere Hamill was told while that scene was being filmed he was told he was moving floating rocks.

Also, even if he was moving floating rocks and hadn't cut himself off from the Force yet, how is that better though? How does that fix the problems of the last Jedi? I'm not sure it does.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I disagree. It's not clear at all. The script reading session suggests the ending in the script was the one in the final film. I've seen no evidence anywhere Hamill was told while that scene was being filmed he was told he was moving floating rocks.

Also, even if he was moving floating rocks and hadn't cut himself off from the Force yet, how is that better though? How does that fix the problems of the last Jedi? I'm not sure it does.

I posted the link to the video where Hamill says that so you'll have to call him out on it then if you don't believe him.

I haven't made any argument about what's better or worse, I said that I find it surprising that such things were going on so far in production.

 

[TheVileOne]

I posted the link to the video where Hamill says that so you'll have to call him out on it then if you don't believe him.

I haven't made any argument about what's better or worse, I said that I find it surprising that such things were going on so far in production.

The way he phrases is it is very jumbled and confusing. He says, "When we were doing 7, Rian said, 'Oh by the way we might have a couple boulders to show your force emanating...'"

So...Rian Johnson told him that while they were still filming 7? Like when he was visiting the set to see what everyone was doing before he started work on 8?

It sounds like it was an idea Rian was thinking about but ultimately dropped.

 

[I Am The Knight]

That sounds like something that would happen at the end of TLJ, not TFA.

 

[TheVileOne]

That sounds like something that would happen at the end of TLJ, not TFA.

At best, it sounds like they thought about some ideas of what Luke was doing on Achto while filming but didn't go forth with them. They didn't sound committed to them.

But based on what was actually in Force Awakens, it sounds like he did go into self-exile.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

The way he phrases is it is very jumbled and confusing. He says, "When we were doing 7, Rian said, 'Oh by the way we might have a couple boulders to show your force emanating...'"

So...Rian Johnson told him that while they were still filming 7? Like when he was visiting the set to see what everyone was doing before he started work on 8?

It sounds like it was an idea Rian was thinking about but ultimately dropped.

Rian didn't wait to visit the TFA set before he started working on TLJ. He was writing the script before TFA even started shooting.

 

[TheVileOne]

Rian didn't wait to visit the TFA set before he started working on TLJ. He was writing the script before TFA even started shooting.

OK, so clearly there was some level of collaboration here and it's not all this fan revisionism of Johnson throwing out everything Abrams had planned and Abrams has to fix his blunders.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

OK, so clearly there was some level of collaboration here and it's not all this fan revisionism of Johnson throwing out everything Abrams had planned and Abrams has to fix his blunders.

The only thing we know that he directly threw out was Abrams' outline for TLJ, as Johnson discarded that and started writing from scratch. Whether Abrams has to fix anything is hard to say without seeing what ROS does, as even in collaborating you can have different degrees of agreement. Of course Abrams could also be told to change things by Lucasfilm if they feel that something needs to be done to repair the divisiveness, or something else that doesn't have to have anything to do with how Rian and JJ worked together. In the end it's mainly speculation and what matters is the end result.

 

[BatLobster]

The only thing we know that he directly threw out was Abrams' outline for TLJ, as Johnson discarded that and started writing from scratch. Whether Abrams has to fix anything is hard to say without seeing what ROS does, as even in collaborating you can have different degrees of agreement. Of course Abrams could also be told to change things by Lucasfilm if they feel that something needs to be done to repair the divisiveness, or something else that doesn't have to have anything to do with how Rian and JJ worked together. In the end it's mainly speculation and what matters is the end result.

This is all very true. Especially the part about varying degrees of agreement within a collaboration. I think a lot of the nuance about the ebbs and flows of the creative process have been lost because a narrative of two directors with conflicting visions who hate the other's work just fits the polarized, click-bait-y times we live in more.

You are correct that what matters is the result. All the rest is just too much inside baseball.

 

[TheVileOne]

The only thing we know that he directly threw out was Abrams' outline for TLJ, as Johnson discarded that and started writing from scratch. Whether Abrams has to fix anything is hard to say without seeing what ROS does, as even in collaborating you can have different degrees of agreement. Of course Abrams could also be told to change things by Lucasfilm if they feel that something needs to be done to repair the divisiveness, or something else that doesn't have to have anything to do with how Rian and JJ worked together. In the end it's mainly speculation and what matters is the end result.

Abrams has disproven this. Unless he's lying.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Abrams has disproven this. Unless he's lying.

If you're talking about the first part I haven't seen that. Although as my post says, it doesn't really matter to me as I derive no importance from statements of how they worked to arrive at what they did. I've seen the films, that's all I need to judge them.