Looper's Rian Johnson Will Write/Direct Star Wars: Episode VIII

MovieBob

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Looper's Rian Johnson Will Write/Direct Star Wars: Episode VIII


Onetime Brick wunderkind will also write the first treatment for Episode IX.

JJ Abrams is currently deep in production on Star Wars: Episode VII with Chronicle's Josh Trank and Godzilla's Gareth Edwards tapped to direct a pair of spin-off side projects in the series, but thus far there had been no word on who would be handling the next actual sequel. Now, we have an answer: Rian Johnson, best known to mainstream audiences as writer/director of the Bruce Willis time travel mindbender Looper.

Johnson first broke out as a major talent with the low-budget indie Brick, a hard-boiled 50s-style detective thriller (complete with noir-esque slang dialogue) set in a contemporary American High School; which he followed with the quirky period con-artist comedy The Brothers Bloom. He also helmed three episodes of Breaking Bad including "Ozymandias," which creator Vince Gilligan has called the best episode of the series.

The report also states that Johnson has also been tasked with writing the first treatment (read: detailed pre-screenplay story outline) for Episode IX. Thus far, no official details are known about the plot of the new Star Wars Trilogy apart from the participation (at least for the first installment) of Original Trilogy characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia. JJ Abrams and/or his production company Bad Robot are expected to have a key behind the scenes role in all three episodes, but not yet officially part of Episodes VIII or IX. Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy is the principal producer of the franchise under the Walt Disney banner.


Source: Deadline [http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/star-wars-rian-johnson-director-next-two-movies/]

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Covarr

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May 29, 2009
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This guy is a great director... but I'm less confident in his writing ability. Looper's script was extremely problematic.

P.S. Thanks
 

Soviet Heavy

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Covarr said:
This guy is a great director... but I'm less confident in his writing ability. Looper's script was extremely problematic.

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Well thankfully, Lawrence Kasdan has been lurking around the new Star Wars films, writing scripts.
 

Hero in a half shell

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So they've done all the casting, and they decided it's going to be about the old original cast and new recruits verses jedi hunters, they've done the surveying for filming locations and already have finished working models of some of the aliens that will be in it, they're already filmed scenes for the movie (resulting in Harrison Ford's injury) but the script hasn't been written yet?

Is that normal, or sane?
 

Bleidd Whitefalcon

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Hero in a half shell said:
So they've done all the casting, and they decided it's going to be about the old original cast and new recruits verses jedi hunters, they've done the surveying for filming locations and already have finished working models of some of the aliens that will be in it, they're already filmed scenes for the movie (resulting in Harrison Ford's injury) but the script hasn't been written yet?

Is that normal, or sane?
This is for episode 8 though - they're filming 7 right now
 

Hero in a half shell

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Bleidd Whitefalcon said:
Hero in a half shell said:
So they've done all the casting, and they decided it's going to be about the old original cast and new recruits verses jedi hunters, they've done the surveying for filming locations and already have finished working models of some of the aliens that will be in it, they're already filmed scenes for the movie (resulting in Harrison Ford's injury) but the script hasn't been written yet?

Is that normal, or sane?
This is for episode 8 though - they're filming 7 right now
Ahh, I didn't pay attention to the roman numerals. that makes a lot more sense.

I truly hope he does a good job, Star Wars is a wonderful universe to base a story in. It just needs a good story to tell.
 

zelda2fanboy

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If they fired J.J. Abrams and gave Rian Johnson the entire series and spin off films, that would be okay with me. I'll probably still like the first movie, but I've loved Rian Johnson's movies for years. I never thought the dude who made Brothers Bloom and Brick would have anything to do with Star Wars.
 

Samsont

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I'm rooting for this to mean that Disney got so fed up with J.J. that they fired him and brought in a director with actual proper abilities besides "This movie has high budget special effects and got a lot of people to buy tickets to it".
Snark aside, I have high hopes for 8 now, Looper was an excellent film.
 

Meinos Kaen

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... This won't end up well. At all. I was up for different directors/writers for the spin-offs -even if the very concept of Star Wars spin-offs when episode VII isn't even out yet irks me wrong. Like, a LOT.- but changing director to the sequels? *wikipedia entry gets thrown at him* ... Oh? The original trilogy was the same? The only constant was Lucas collaborating to the writing? ... Huh. Okay, objection retracted. Move right along.
 

Lono Shrugged

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Covarr said:
This guy is a great director... but I'm less confident in his writing ability. Looper's script was extremely problematic.

P.S. Thanks

Whatever Looper's failing were with it's budget and script. It was a very tightly directed film and it really had a great sense of the people living in this weird sci-fi world. Characters who had 2-3 scenes (Paul Dano & Jeff Daniels for example.) really shone. The guy can swing a light (and an actor) It doesn't hurt that he comes across as the soundest guy alive in interviews
 

Anachronism

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I'm now in the weird position of really looking forward to all these upcoming Star Wars films except for Episode VII. Between Josh Trank, Gareth Edwards and now Rian Johnson, I think the later films have the potential to be really great. I just don't understand why they've put J.J. Abrams, competent but spectacularly overrated, in charge of bringing the franchise back. Of all the directors they have on board at this point, he is by far the least interesting.
Soviet Heavy said:
Covarr said:
This guy is a great director... but I'm less confident in his writing ability. Looper's script was extremely problematic.

P.S. Thanks
Well thankfully, Lawrence Kasdan has been lurking around the new Star Wars films, writing scripts.
Unfortunately, so has J.J. from the sound of it. Star Trek Into Darkness' screenplay was appalling.