Rian Johnson forced J.J. Abrams to change the ending of Episode VII

May 4th 2017, 3:27pm

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Though it's May 4th, it's surprising how little new STAR WARS news there has been (because, you know, "May the 4th Be With You" and all that shit. If you have any social media account you were already undoubtedly aware of this). However, having said that, there was this little tidbit from an interview Entertainment Weekly conducted with THE LAST JEDI director Rian Johnson. It's about a favor he asked J.J. Abrams, which was to change something at the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS. Here's what he asked:

Yes…The big [favor] was, I asked if R2 could come with Rey, and if BB-8 could stay behind with the Resistance,” Johnson says. “Originally it was BB-8 who went with Rey, which makes sense for the story in a way. But I asked, ‘Can you do me this solid and switch the droids?’

Johnson didn't go into much detail about why that was necessary, but I imagine it has to do with his connection to Luke and the past (and the fact that, let's face it, Poe and BB-8 are BFFs, and only just met Rey two days ago). So I think it makes sense.

Speaking of which, Johnson also gave a little bit about Luke, who at the end of TFA was simply a grimacing hermit:

Figuring out where his head was at was the very first thing I had to do when writing the movie. I had to crack this. And it had to be something for me that first and foremost made sense. Why did Luke Skywalker go off to this island?…That was the starting point, and that’s what the entire movie explores.

Honestly, I can't wait for THE LAST JEDI! I was always ambivalent to EPISODE VII, and hated most of it when I saw it (save the character dynamics of Rey, Finn, and Poe), which is the exact opposite of this. I loved the trailer, love what Johnson has been saying about the film, and am excited to see this franchise finally leave nostalgia behind and forge into something new. Let's just hope Disney doesn't get skittish (if we hear news of reshoots, we'll know if they were or not).