One of the new locations of the Star Wars universe that we’ll get to see for the first time in The Last Jedi is Canto Bight. Effectively the opposite of Mos Eisley Cantina, which Obi-Wan memorably called a wretched hive of scum and villainy, Canto Bight is a lavish casino for the wealthiest folks in the galaxy. Thanks to the odd promo still or drip of information, we know that the setting will feature when Finn and Rose venture there on a mission for the Resistance, but that aside, we haven’t been told a whole lot about the place.
Still, from what little we’ve seen so far, it looks like director Rian Johnson and his team have pulled out all the stops with the set design on Canto Bight to make it look suitably ritzy and glamorous. In fact, in a new interview, Mark Hamill had plenty to say about how taken aback he was by the set, which he describes as “massive” and “opulent.” In particular, it gave him a new perspective on how much production on big Hollywood movies and indie projects differ.
“On something like The Last Jedi, it’s such a massive production. The complexity of it is just mind-boggling to me, and how [director] Rian Johnson stays so even-tempered and amiable. I never saw him lose his temper, I never heard him curse or humiliate someone. You know, I’ve had directors that dress people down in front of the whole crew. I was so lucky to be able to have his guidance. Everyone says, “Oh, it must be so fun coming back to Star Wars.” Yeah, it’s fun but it’s also hugely intimidating and bordering on terrifying, because it’s just almost too high profile for comfort. Brigsby Bear is a little film about little people with big ideas. It’s set in the suburbs. I mean, you can relate to it. With something like this, it’s just a massive fantasy film.
Continuing on, the actor said:
I was on one set, and I’m not giving anything away because Rian has already talked about a casino sequence. The set, with 150 actors all dressed in prosthetics and puppetry and robots — that set alone could probably easily have financed 100 Brigsby Bears. It was easily one of the most opulent sets I’ve ever been on. I’m fascinated not by just the scenes I’m in. When I had free time I would go and observe all these different actors and all these different scenes. The amount of talent that just is unrecognized… That’s why the credits run for an hour and a half. Because it takes thousands of people to successfully mount an epic of this size.”
While we can’t say for sure, it sounds like Hamill is confirming some previous comments he made here, which suggested Luke will visit the casino in The Last Jedi. So far, the marketing has solely featured Luke on Ahch-To, but it seems that the hermit will leave behind the backwater planet later on in the movie. Alternatively, Hamill might have just been visiting the set while enjoying some off time.
Either way, we’ll find out for certain when Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in cinemas on December 15th.