By Nick Marini
Episodes VIII and IX from Disney’s continuation of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” franchise have a new writer/director at the helm: Rian Johnson. The news broke late Friday morning.
He was the creative force behind the movie “Looper” (2012), starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, which was one of the most critically-acclaimed, completely original sci-fi movies of the past 20 years, collecting over $66 million in US box offices and receiving numerous critics’ awards and nominations. He also wrote and directed the neo-noir “Brick” (2005), also starring Gordon-Levitt, which early-on solidified him in the industry as a young, refreshingly classicist, entertaining filmmaker that incorporates old-school skill to fast-paced plots and twisted stories. Arguably the best work in his filmography, however, included two of the most critically-acclaimed episodes of “Breaking Bad:” “The Fly” and “Ozymandias.”
Disney has immediately injected new interest in the latter-day entries to the franchise with this move. Though on the fringe of being a household name, he’s well-respected within critic circles, and many of the most cynical pundits of the modern industry have praised his method of filmmaking. His name can suggest some credibility to the often-ridiculed newer entries.
Many of his movies involve a classical greek-tragedy style of storytelling, with great parables for character arcs, morally ambiguous endings and adventurous twists. The high-concept “Looper” wrapped an ambitious plot tightly around emotion and action, making the settings seem almost real, but believable, in a feat of writing-directing prowess.
Given his experience in deep-subject storytelling, experience in sci-fi and the ability to manage medium-to-large budgets, he should be a good fit for episodes that are likely to be scrutinized. Many diehards of the original franchise are skeptical of the entries to come, especially since Disney bought ownership from creator George Lucas and made the decision to re-boot the series with at least three more films.
J.J. Abrams (director of the new “Star Trek” films, “Cloverfield” and creator of “Lost,” among others) is set to write and direct Episode VII, due out in 2015. The announcement of Johnson for the next two does come at a strange time – perhaps the Disney executives and Abrams are of different minds about the creative direction of the series? We may not know for sure for a while, but right now, Rian Johnson has fans, and skeptics, talking.
Either way, it’s a monumental task to continue such a legacy. Johnson has yet to comment, but he did post this on his Twitter page after the news went viral early Friday afternoon. Understandably, he’s feeling the pressure.
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons.
