The Last Jedi inspired J.J. Abrams to be more daring with Rise of Skywalker

By Kevin Fraser

Posted 6 years ago

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, J.J. Abrams was not only faced with introducing new characters in the opening chapter of a brand-new STAR WARS trilogy, but the director also had to deliver something which felt like the classic films. Although some may have felt as though THE FORCE AWAKENS was a little too familiar, it was very successful in launching the Disney-era of the franchise. Abrams had never intended on returning to STAR WARS after THE FORCE AWAKENS, but once Colin Trevorrow exited as director of what would become STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, Abrams was brought back in to complete the saga.

In an interview with Total Film, Abrams discussed how making THE RISE OF SKYWALKER compared to THE FORCE AWAKENS.

sponsored content

On this one, I let myself be, at least in the way I was approaching the thing, freer. In Episode 7, I was adhering to a kind of approach that felt right for Star Wars in my head. It was about finding a visual language, like shooting on locations and doing practical things as much as possible. And we continue that in Episode 9, but I also found myself doing things that I’m not sure I would have been as daring to do on Episode 7.

Following in the wake of STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, a film which remains divisive among some fans, presented J.J. Abrams with several options; He could course correct and steer THE RISE OF SKYWALKER back to what audiences were expecting, or take a cue from THE LAST JEDI Rian Johnson and chart his own course. Abrams chose option two. "Rian helped remind me that that’s why we’re on these movies – not to just do something that you’ve seen before. I won’t say that I felt constrained or limited on 7, but I found myself wanting to do something that felt more consistent with the original trilogy than not," Abrams explained. "And on 9, I found myself feeling like I’m just gonna go for it a bit more."

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2019.

Source: Total Film (via Games Radar)

Tags: Action, Adam Driver, Adventure, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Chris Terrio, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Dominic Monaghan, Fantasy, Greg Grunberg, J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Keri Russell, Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Richard Grant, Science-Fiction, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

About the Author

Kevin Fraser

News Editor

11,663 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: Alien, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, read more Braveheart, The Bridge on the River Kwai, City of God, Cloud Atlas, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Edge, The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Godfather Parts I & II, Goodfellas, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Magnificent Seven, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Prestige, Prisoners, Psycho, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rear Window, The Shining, Sorcerer, The Talented Mr. Ripley, There Will be Blood, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Zodiac

Likes: Drawing, cooking, watching movies, trying and failing to come up with read more more items for my likes list.

The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.

What’s Not Allowed

Abusive language, insults, or harassment toward other users or staff.
Hate speech of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Bickering, bullying, personal attacks, or baiting others to argue
Extended off-topic debates, especially those centered on politics or religion rather than the article topic
No AI content or SPAM