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Gizmodo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Rian Johnson Aimed to Make the ‘Empire Strikes Back' of the ‘Star Wars' Sequels
When talking about his time in Star Wars, Rian Johnson often says that he'd like to return to that world one day, at least once he stops making murder-mystery movies and TV shows. But while fans continue to hope he'll make that once-planned trilogy one day, others can't quite get past the seeming disappointments contained in his franchise entry, The Last Jedi. In a new interview, Johnson recalls what he was told when he came aboard the Lucasfilm project. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Johnson addressed the notion that he and J.J. Abrams—who made the first and third films in the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker—didn't communicate enough about their 2015 and 2017 Star Wars films, leading to a disjointed feeling between the two. That's not the case, Johnson said. 'We met and I spent days with him and was able to get into his head and all the choices he had made. That having been said, I communicated and I went and made the movie. And he was in the middle of Force Awakens. Ultimately, I feel like the choices in it, none of them were born out of an intent to 'undo' anything. They were all [born] out of the opposite intent of, how do I take this story that J.J. wrote, that I really loved, and these characters he created that I really loved, and take them to the next step?' An authority stepped in for some guidance at this point, Johnson said. 'Kathy [Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm] said, 'We're looking at someone to do the Empire [Strikes Back] of this series.' I took that assignment very seriously. Maybe more seriously than someone would have liked. I guess to me that didn't mean making something that just had nods to Empire—that meant trying to genuinely do what Empire did.' Whether or not Johnson's interpretation of Empire pleased fans (some people don't mind The Last Jedi!), it's clear that coming into the franchise to make the middle film in the series was no easy task. That became even tougher when Johnson tried to put his own stamp on the story so far—including, as Rolling Stone uses as an example, doing away with Snoke, the big bad set up with much fanfare in The Force Awakens. Turns out Johnson just thought Kylo Ren was a 'more compelling and complicated villain.' 'To me, I didn't easily dispense with Snoke. I took great pains to use him in the most dramatically impactful way I could, which was to then take Kylo's character to the next level and set him up as well as I possibly could. I guess it all comes down to your point of view.' And really, what would Star Wars be without heated fan debates over the choices made, on-screen and off? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Rian Johnson Is Totally Chill About J.J. Abrams' STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER — GeekTyrant
Star Wars fans are pretty familiar with the tug-of-war narrative surrounding The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker . Was J.J. Abrams actively undoing everything Rian Johnson built? Was it a creative clash? A lightsaber tug-of-war between two opposing visions? According to Johnson himself, it's not that dramatic. In fact, he's fine with how it all played out. While speaking with Rolling Stone about the second season of Poker Face , Johnson said he had no hard feelings watching The Rise of Skywalker . He explained: 'When I saw the movie, I had a great time watching it. Again, this is all about point of view. I never approach this as, like, a territory I'm carving out for my thing. 'In my perspective, J.J. did the same thing with the third that I did with the second, which is not digging it up and undoing – just telling the story the way that was most compelling going forward. That means not just validating what came before, but recontextualizing it and evolving and changing as the story moves forward. I didn't feel resentful in some way.' Johnson went on to add: 'But you're talking about a movie made by my friends, with my friends in it. I sit down to watch a movie, and it's a Star Wars movie. It's all stuff I love. I'm not the one to come to for a hard-hitting critique. You can go to YouTube for that.' Despite The Last Jedi drawing a wave of online backlash back in 2017, Lucasfilm clearly had faith in Johnson's vision. He was even handed a brand-new Star Wars trilogy. But then Knives Out happened, and then its sequels, and Poker Face . And now Wake Up Dead Man drops this December. He's busy, he's thriving, and he's not losing sleep over lightsabers. Still, he hasn't ruled out a return to the galaxy far, far away. If that trilogy ever gained traction again, he'd jump on it.
Gizmodo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Rian Johnson Feels Fine About ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
The changeover from Star Wars: The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker had everyone feeling some type of way, and it continues to this day. Was J.J. Abrams spitefully undoing Rian Johnson's work in Jedi, or are the two more in conversation with one another than they appear? In Johnson's eyes, it's the latter, and something he harbors no ill will about. While chatting with Rolling Stone about Poker Face's just-wrapped second season, he revealed he had 'a great time' watching Skywalker and didn't feel precious about how things shook out. 'I didn't feel resentful in some way,' he said. 'In my perspective, J.J. did the same thing with the third that I did with the second, which is not digging it up and undoing — just telling the story the way that was most compelling going forward. That means not just validating what came before, but recontextualizing it and evolving and changing as the story moves forward.' For those who do have problems with Skywalker, or any Star Wars film, Johnson advised you check YouTube. (Assuming you already haven't.) Despite some online backlash to Jedi, it seemed Lucasfilm wanted to keep Johnson on board, at one point giving him the keys to a whole Star Wars trilogy. But he says he only got as far as concepting ideas with Kathleen Kennedy when he caught the murder mystery bug. After 'Knives Out happened,' he was tapped to make two sequels— the third film, Wake Up Dead Man, is due in December—and found time to do Poker Face for Peacock. At the moment, he's 'perfectly happy' making his own stuff, but he also reiterated what he's said before: if there's ever a chance to make that trilogy or anything else Star Wars-related, he'll gladly take it. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Warner Bros. Reportedly Shelved Black SUPERMAN Film for Being 'Too Woke,' But DC Might Still Make It — GeekTyrant
As James Gunn's Superman flies into theaters this weekend and officially kicks off the new DCU, a different Superman story has resurfaced. According to The Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav personally shelved a Black Superman movie written by acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates. This is the film that was being produced by J.J. Abrams and set during the American civil rights era. It was described by insiders as 'too woke,' leading to its quiet dismissal back in 2022. For fans who've been wondering what happened to the once-promising project, this report provides an answer. Before the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, the studio was developing two separate Black Superman stories. One was Coates and Abrams' theatrical feature, intended to be an alternate-universe period piece. The other was an HBO Max limited series from Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society, centered on Val-Zod, a Superman variant from Earth-2. Writers Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters were brought on in 2021 to script the Jordan-led project, which also faded from view post-merger. While Zaslav may have hit the brakes, the project isn't completely dead. James Gunn, now co-CEO of DC Studios, has left the door open. He previously said that if Coates' screenplay is strong and the timing aligns, the film could 'absolutely happen' as an Elseworlds story 'like Joker.' That Elseworlds label allows DC to explore stand-alone stories outside the core cinematic universe. So far, the only active title under that banner is The Batman – Part II , which won't hit screens until October 1, 2027. It's unclear if DC will revisit either Black Superman project anytime soon, but the idea isn't off the table anymore. And given the renewed attention on the Coates script, it's possible we could see it resurrected down the line, especially if the new DCU continues to thrive creatively and financially.
Geek Tyrant
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
HBO Max Cancels 1970s DUSTER Series After One Season — GeekTyrant
Well, that was short-lived. HBO Max has officially pulled the plug on Duster after just one season. The series, created by LaToya Morgan and J.J. Abrams, had only just wrapped its season finale last week, leaving fans who were invested in its gritty, retro crime world wondering what could've been. The show premiered in May and starred Lost 's Josh Holloway as a getaway driver working for a rising crime syndicate in the 1970s Southwest. Rachel Hilson played a determined young FBI agent on a mission to bring it all crashing down. I watched the first couple episodes of the series, but it never really quite grabbed my attention. In a statement, HBO Max shared: 'While HBO Max will not be moving forward with a second season of Duster , we are so grateful to have had the chance to work with the amazingly talented co-creators J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, and our partners at Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. 'We are tremendously proud of this series led by Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson and we thank them along with our cast and crew for their incredible collaboration and partnership.' That wraps a long road for the show. Duster was first announced back in 2020 as part of Abrams' big overall deal with Warner Bros. Television and was the only live-action series from that deal to actually make it to air on HBO Max. Others including a Justice League Dark project and a Shining -inspired spinoff, never got past development. The animated series Batman: Caped Crusader , which Abrams also executive produced, was picked up by HBO Max before being moved over to Prime Video instead. Warner Bros. Television also chimed in, saying: 'J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan delivered a thrilling, multi-dimensional crime drama in Duster, with textured characters that took the audience back to the 1970s in a new and innovative way. 'Those characters were brought to life by a wonderful team led by Josh, Rachel, and an extremely talented ensemble cast, along with an expert crew behind the scenes. We are incredibly proud of the show, and while we wish this journey could continue, we are thankful to our partners at HBO Max for the opportunity to tell Jim and Nina's story.' If you watch the first season of Duster , what did you think? Source: Variety
