STACK #162 April 2018

DVD & BD

FEATURE

a reason for doing that. What is that reason?” Johnson also reveals that Kylo Ren was the character he was most excited to write for. “In the first Star Wars films, Darth Vader was a great villain, but he was never someone that you identified with. You identified with Luke’s relationship to him. So Vader was the monster. He was the scary father, and then he was the father you had to reconcile with. Whereas

Production on The Last Jedi had wrapped a few months prior to the tragic and untimely death of Carrie Fisher on December 27, 2016. As Leia Organa, the Princess turned General of the Resistance, Fisher was a much-loved member of the Star Wars family from the very beginning, and her passing adds poignancy to the latest chapter in the saga. “Carrie had a meaningful role in the film even before her untimely death,” says producer Ram Bergman, “but now there will be so much more weight to some very emotional scenes. She challenged Rian every day, but they had a great partnership. Everyone will be so proud of her performance.” CARRIE FISHER Director Rian Johnson with Carrie Fisher (Leia) on set

Photo: David James

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Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)

Johnson concludes that the experience of adding to the Star Wars mythology was something that definitely took time to properly sink in. “The cultural enormity of Star Wars is so vast, it’s impossible to really hold it in a real way in your mind, which is a very good thing. There are brief moments where you intellectually realise the reach that this story you’re telling is going to have, but grasping that in any meaningful way is impossible. So at the end of

with Kylo, it’s almost like Rey and Kylo are two halves of the protagonist. Rey is the light, and Kylo is the dark. And with Kylo, again, this is all about the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Kylo is that anger of adolescence, and wanting to reject your parents, and wanting to break away, which, to some extent, all of us can identify with as much as we can identify with the hopeful Rey looking up at the stars from her planet.” The Force Awakens possessed an instant familiarity – there was no doubt whatsoever that we were back in that galaxy far, far away. According to Johnson, numerous early conversations were held regarding the look of The Last Jedi , and what specifically contributes to the feel of a Star Wars film. “After going around a bit, we decided to just hop in and start designing some stuff and see if it feels right,” says the director. “There were designers on the team who homed in on the Star Wars feel of it all instantly, so we tended to gravitate towards those artists. Kevin Jenkins, who is the lead designer with ILM, and James Klein were two of the guys who were hugely instrumental in delivering the Star Wars elements in the design. It’s an interesting balance to try and strike, designing new things and having them feel like they could be on a box from a toy in 1977.”

the day you’re really left with your experience of making it, and what the story means to you personally.”

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out now

Rey (Daisy Ridley) Photo: David James

Photos: ©2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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