Movies

Rian Johnson Doesn't Mind If J.J. Abrams Retcons 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' With 'Episode 9'

the last jedi retcons
By Chris Evangelista

Rian Johnson seems like a pretty chill guy. Not only does he have to put up with trolls shouting at him on Twitter over Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he also doesn't mind if Episode IX helmer J.J. Abrams goes ahead and retcons the twists revealed in the previous film. While at CinemaCon to show off footage from his new mystery Knives Out, Johnson was asked about what he thought of the potential changes Abrams' new movie might make. According to Johnson, he's happy to go along with the ride.

The Last Jedi has developed something of a sour reputation with a very vocal minority on Twitter and YouTube. Certain individuals don't like that director Rian Johnson took the Star Wars franchise into new directions with his film, and they refuse to shut up about it. That's fine – it's their right. Just as it's my right to declare that I think The Last Jedi is the best of the Star Wars films. I love everything Johnson did in the film, and personally speaking, I'm going to be a little upset if director J.J. Abrams decides to retcon some of Johnson's choices.

But Johnson is fine with it. In the clip above, the filmmaker is asked about potential story changes, particularly when it comes to Rey's lineage. In case you forgot, in The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley's Rey says she's been waiting for years for her family to return. It's all very mysterious, and there's a strong indication that her parents are important characters within the Star Wars mythology. But in The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren informs Rey that her parents were, in fact, nobodies.

"They were filthy junk traders," Kylo says. "Sold you off for drinking money. They're dead in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert. You come from nothing. You're nothing." I love this twist. I love the idea that Rey isn't some mythical chosen one fulfilling her family destiny, but rather that she's a kind of self-made hero. To me, that's far more exciting than having your power inherited from your parents. But that's me.

Ever since that line appeared in The Last Jedi, fans have been theorizing that it might not be true. Kylo Ren is, after all, a villain – so he could be lying to Rey to mess with her head. Abrams could certainly add that as a twist if he wants to, and reveal that Rey's parents are actually Skywalkers or something along that lines. And if he does, Rian Johnson won't mind. "I want to let go of all my expectations," Johnson says in the above video. "I want to sit back. I want to be entertained. I want to be surprised. I want to be thrilled. I want him to do stuff that I wasn't expecting him to do. And just go along for the ride. for me, that's why I go to the movies."

Like I said: he's a pretty chill guy.

During the same interview, Johnson was asked if he was still working on his new Star Wars trilogy, set outside of the Skywalker Saga. Johnson responded in the affirmative, adding that right now everyone is trying to figure out how "it's all gonna lay out" and that he "can't wait to get back into it."

Star Wars: Episode IX opens December 20, 2019.

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