Director Rian Johnson Discusses The "Key Relationship" Between Luke And Rey In STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII
In a new interview, Rian Johnson reveals that the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Rey will be the main focus of Star Wars: Episode VIII, and that we'll be spending a lot of time on Ahch-to...
Some fans felt a bit short-changed that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) only appeared in one brief sequence at the very end of The Force Awakens, but obviously the legendary Jedi is going to have a much bigger part to play in Rian Johnson's still untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII, and it sounds like his relationship with Rey (Daisy Ridley) is going to be the central focus of the film.
During an interview with USA Today, Johnson explains why he wanted to begin right where The Force Awakens left off, and he suggests that quite a lot of the story will play out on the deserted planet where Luke has been in exile, Ahch-to.
“I don’t want to skip ahead two years. I want to see the very next moment of what happens.” How Rey and Luke relate to each other is the key relationship in Episode VIII, and Johnson says “a large part of the movie” will be spent addressing why Luke’s there and what he’ll do next. Like Luke, Rey has been pulled into a bigger world by connecting with the Force, “but part of what’s she’s dealing with is the realization that she has this power and this gift,” Johnson adds. “She’s taking her first step to coming to terms with this thing inside her that she never knew was there and is just starting to reveal its potential.”
Star Wars: Episode VIII also stars Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran. The movie will be released in theaters on December 15, 2017.