Rian Johnson's Trilogy

There's also the fact that (I'm 99% sure was mentioned earlier on in the thread, but I'm too lazy to fact-check) RJ won't be messing with what people hold as "sacred" in Star Wars, unless he gets ahold of Revan. I think people than expected will be more willing to let RJ back in the playhouse so long as he's not messing with "their stuff."

 

I'm just grateful we have the Mandalorian. I've been watching a lot of the OT can't bring myself to watch the sequel trilogy (overall, there are some good parts and bad parts). I'll watch it again in a few years or right before a new Star Wars film is released.

As far as RJ, if LFL & Disney gives him the keys again I hope he creates his own characters. I don't want him messing around with Reven or any of our beloved characters.

With that said, RJ is a good filmmaker, I truly enjoyed Knives Out, Brothers Bloom, and Looper( I never got around to watching Breaking Bad... I know... I know). I gotta watch Brick again the third act lost me, anywho Disney has publicly stated that they are focusing on streaming so we won't get another Star Wars film in a while. We have nine films to rewatch and dissect over and over again till we get a new film, here's hoping for something great like Mando.

 

JJ does have a reputation for setting up and not seeing through to the end but I thought he did an amazing job with TFA, it's by far my favourite film of the ST. I also agree that JJ likes to play it safe but I do think it's unfair to criticize him for the questions you listed above as the first part of a trilogy should leave unanswered questions for the next two films, it's then up to them to push the story forward. The problem is that I don't think TLJ especially or TROS did a good job of building on TFA which is why I view the ST as a mess.

Thank the maker that we now have the Mandalorian.

 

I wasn't trying to imply JJ had to answer all the questions but you have to answer SOME of them.
The only answer you get is that Kylo Ren is Ben Solo.
That's the one thing JJ gives you. Everything else is mystery boxed and it led to rampant speculation which was fun but ultimately played a bigger part in people's anger at TLJ's answers.
TFA is a good fun movie and it's probably the easiest Star War to re-watch casually. But it's dessert before dinner. It's damn fine dessert but it has no nutritional value.

If JJ could have answered a few of those questions, in a thoughtful meaningful manner, I don't think people would have gotten so mad in the future because everyone wouldn't have had a huge checklist of things to mark off for speculations.

After TFA the series could go anywhere because it had no real thematic direction. That's what RJ sought to give it. He, more than anyone else, embraced the legacy of the story Lucas told from the PT through the OT to give this some direction. The idea that you don't have to be a part of a magical space family to be important here is a great, new theme for Star Wars that hasn't existed since 1980 when it was changed to be about magical space families in ESB. And then doubled down on in the PT.

But I'm rambling now.

 

Same for me, I'll go and see any Star Wars film released, if I like it then that's a bonus and if I don't like it then I'll not watch it again. I don't understand fans who dislike one film that don't give the next a chance, if I'd thought like that I'd have missed Solo and the Mandalorian and they are both great.

 

There is a big shareholder meeting (virtual event) coming this Thursday. This website wrote an article about the meeting’s potential Lucasfilm projects for 2021 and beyond.
One thing that caught my eye was the possible update on theatrical projects; this would be the perfect opportunity to let fans know where this Rian Johnson trilogy stands.. it has been so long since we heard anything concrete, I’m not entirely certain it’s still happening. Unlike some members of the Cantina forum, I enjoyed The Last Jedi; it was probably my favorite of the Sequel Trilogy films. My issue with Rian Johnson was not his portray of Luke Skywalker hiding on an island drinking green milk (I would probably do the same if my top student murdered my entire academy,) but his inability to go all the way in the lore... I can’t confirm this, but I read somewhere in 2017 that Rian Johnson had created an entire backstory of the beginning of the Jedi order which somehow connected to the Ach’To temple and the “Prime Jedi” which did not make it into the final cut.....
... my hope is that his trilogy (which may or may not even be happening) will be about that: the start of the Jedi Order. I think that would be spectacular to watch and very insightful.

 

To add on what he said, there are 3 different times in TFA that could of explained Rey's origins and 2 different times where they could of explained Snoke's origins but they didn't. You can't tease the audience multiple times about something without giving a hard answer too. That is just lazy writing. Snoke's origins should of been answered in TFA as an example (Don't start about "what about the Emperor in the OT", that was under a different context). That answer isn't for Episode 8 & 9. Episode 8 and 9 (even though it was lazy) had to do the heavy lifting for the sequels that TFA should of done.

JJ has done this in other movies too such as Mission Impossible 3. After 3 sequels after MI3 we still don't know what the Rabbit's Foot is exactly. JJ left that up to viewers imagination. He didn't bother explaining it and the future movies make no reference to it.

Out of the sequels I think TLJ is best one out of the 3 because it's the closest out of the 3 movies that is similar to the prequels.

 

Agreed.
And I don't think everything needs to be answered inherently either. If Snoke was just discarded in TLJ as he was and never brought up again because of Kylo Ren now being the reigning bad guy in Star Wars, I'd be fine with that. He was just a stepping stone for Kylo Ren to be Supreme Leader. Cool.
But since JJ went back to that well, it feels odd how he was presented in TFA and TLJ. I don't need Snoke's story, it isn't his movie but then you make him essentially a vestige of Palpatine...who the series is now about more than the Skywalkers apparently

 

I do agree with you that JJ's writing can be lazy, he is a master at setting up but I don't agree that these questions should have been answered in TFA, there were two sequels where everything could have been explained, RJ and JJ just did a poor job of it with TLJ and TROS

 

Personally, I don’t think *everything* should’ve been answered in TFA, like Snoke and Rey’s histories. But there were questions people had that would’ve been better answered there. Namely: who is the FO, where did they come from, why is Leia leading a “Resistance” and not the New Republic army, etc. The worldbuilding answers people might have felt they needed for the Sequel Trilogy, but couldn’t as well be answered in 8 or 9.

We have books at this point to explain, and I personally enjoy them and how deep they can go, but I can’t fault people for feeling the movie should’ve set those up better.

a notable example: In TFA, the Resistance is just there, and Leia is leading it. Why is there not an army? We don’t know. JJ felt Leia’s best intro was through Han’s eyes, but in the novelization, prior to that, he had a scene where Leia sends an envoy to the New Republic (and is actually the uniformed woman we see on Hosnian Prime in the film), telling her to ask the New Republic for aid because she knows they won’t listen to her. That gives some missing context.

some things are fine unanswered. Luke’s lightsaber being in Maz’s castle is not as necessary, and probably would’ve never gotten an answer, so he could’ve just had a throwaway line in that moment. Some things are fine left for later films, like Rey and possibly Snoke (though that’d likely be a villain monologue moment).

Tl;dr JJ needed to have some answers to hint more toward. TFA was fun, but probably should have had answers some things that it mystery boxed, because sequels can’t always answer every question, nor should they be expected to answer everything.

 

This appears to be what the story group wanted as well. I remember Pablo Hidalgo saying he wished there was better explanation of the political situation in episode XIII, but JJ wasn't interested. There's not much to explain after The Force Awakens because the First Order destroyed the New Republic.

It's my understanding that Rian Johnson kind of sorted out the political structure as he was working with the story group while he was creating his film. This was mostly seen in Bloodline.

I understand what JJ was thinking. One of the chief complaints about the prequels were that they were too political. It's my biggest gripe with the sequel trilogy. They brought the Empire back because it was easier than developing something else. Anyway, this isn't the thread for that discussion. I really like TFA/TLJ despite my issues with the lack of creativity in some areas.

 

I guess we can safely assume that RJs trilogy isn’t coming. A bummer, but oh well.

 

First, KK should never have said anything about a trilogy. It was jumping the gun big time and even then felt like it was premature. Like he'd just finished TLJ so I doubt he had much. Maybe "hey this would be cool" but I can't see him having say treatments for 3 films.

Secondly, he seems to be better doing his own thing. There are things I liked about TLJ (even if I don't like the film overall) but even some of those felt.. like they needed some explanation (Grumpy Luke is definitely one of them). On the other hand Looper was fantastic. I really like that film.

Thirdly, this happens all the time. Films get put into turn around more often than not. So it isn't a big deal. I just think it's a good idea for KK to have a bit more control when it comes to what she says. But that's a conversation for another day or another forum. LOL

 

Star Wars tried to be unique and different but alas that was too much. Eventually it will same and bore itself out

 

I honestly don't think that is what folks wanted. I honestly think the problem started with Iger wanting a film in 2015 no matter what. Then JJ addd o it by creating a terribly derivative film. But yeah, I don't want this to get dinged for going off topic.

Anyway, RJ will move on and do his own thing which is probably best for him and us.

 

Folks don't know what the hell they want tbh.
I'm already getting bored. I think it's fantastic people like the shrinking galaxy but I could do without

 

I am somewhat disappointed as well, even despite all the other exciting new titles they have announced. At the same time, I can't entirely blame Disney. Even though I liked the ST, I can see why for now they probably want a bit of time and space away from it to focus on other things.

At least they have announced something firm and definite for the 2023 film.