For every person who lambasts Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the creative choices Rian Johnson made, you’ll likely find 10 more who fell head over heels for Episode VIII and its bold storytelling.
That’s the resounding message from Rogue One scribe Gary Whitta, who sat down with the folks at Jedi News to promote his comic novelization of The Last Jedi. It’s a must-own for any Star Wars fan, as it retells many of the sequel’s key events from an alternate perspective.
But when the conversation veered toward fandom and the amount of hate directed at both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Rian Johnson, Whitta was incensed, stating that he’s “disgusted” by the treatment that Johnson has received since December. Because even if you disagree with some of The Last Jedi‘s story – or any story, for that matter – it doesn’t warrant a spiteful attack against its creator.
I think what you mean by that when you say ‘the fans’ is actually ‘a very noisy minority of fans’. Look, I would not necessarily have made every choice that Rian made because I’m not the same person or writer or fan that he is, but I respect and admire and appreciate and support every choice he did make. The film he wrote is far braver and more mature and more challenging than I could ever have written.
The author went on to admit that, given the opportunity, he would’ve pandered to the Star Wars community with a cinematic slice of fan service.
I suspect that I would have written a more fan service-driven film that would have appeased some of that noisy minority but ultimately would have been a lesser and less important film because of it. Frankly, I’m disgusted by the treatment that Rian has received, he’s not just one of the most talented filmmakers working today but one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet in any walk of life, and both he and the film he made deserve far better.
But after The Force Awakens, one could argue that the core Star Wars series was in need of something fresh – something bold – to inject a sense of energy into Lucasfilm’s far-away galaxy. Speaking of which, next up is the release of Episode IX in 2019, and production has now just begun in the United Kingdom.