Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed the untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII movie, revealed some secrets for the highly anticipated sequel to The Force Awakens. However, don’t expect major spoilers just yet, as Johnson has only started teasing the things to come.
For starters, we have no idea what Episode VIII will be called, but that doesn’t mean Johnson doesn’t know it. According to what he told USA Today, he had the title in mind all along, ever since he started working on the second episode of the third Star Wars saga.
“It was in the very first draft I wrote,” Johnson teased, but that doesn’t mean we get to find out what it is just yet. “I’ll just blurt it out right now!” the director joked before saying that. “All [is coming] in good time, my friend.”
Episode VIII is currently in post-production, and USA Today’s interview took place before Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death.
If there’s one thing Johnson revealed that’s somewhat conflicting earlier spoilers is that Episode VIII will be a fun movie, rather than a dark one. Well, all Star Wars flicks have a healthy dose of humor, so we’d expect the same thing from Episode VIII.
“I want it to be a blast and to be funny and to be a ride the way The Force Awakens and the original Star Wars movies were,” Johnson said.
Luke will be more present in the film than in The Force Awakens. “What’s going on with Luke Skywalker?” is the question Johnson wants to answer. “I’m approaching it with a take that I hope feels honest and real and is going to be interesting to folks and make sense.”
Furthermore, Luke and Rey will establish a special bond, but Johnson won’t say if he’s her father. However, family will still play a major role in this episode. After all, it’s Star Wars. Family is “a huge part of especially Rey’s character, something that was a really powerful part of her setup and something I really wanted to dig into with this,” the director revealed.
But Johnson isn’t going to explore just Rey’s background, as his movie will focus on all three new Star Wars heroes. “I wanted to know more about each of them, and that doesn’t just mean information or backstory,” Johnson said. “Figure out what’s the most difficult thing each of them could be challenged with now — let’s throw that at them and dig into what really makes them tick by seeing how they handle that.”
Maybe this is where the rumored dark side — pun intended — of this Star Wars episode comes.
As for a trailer? Well, we don’t even have an official title for the thing yet.
