Now that the spinoff/prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has been released, Lucasfilm is set to go back to the future and continue the Skywalker family saga in 2017. Next year sees the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VIII and anticipation is already high. The studio is characteristically keeping things heavily guarded under lock and key, but the rumor mill has churned up some interesting nuggets of information, such as the possibility of Supreme Leader Snoke being a practical effect and Luke Skywalker having the company of some creatures on Ahch-To.
The cast is perhaps as excited as the fans are to see the finished product on the big screen, with Adam Driver in particular expressing much enthusiasm about the sequel. In the past, the actor has explained why he "lucked out" with Star Wars being his big franchise role and praised the "nuance and ambiguity" of writer/director Rian Johnson. Now, Driver is hailing Episode VIII and the man behind it once more.
While promoting his new film Silence, Driver spoke with The Daily Beast and of course was asked about his participation in the galaxy far, far away. Echoing similar statements he's made before, the once and future Kylo Ren spoke very highly of Johnson and his approach to handling the material:
"He’s a brilliant filmmaker. And he wrote the script also, and he understands the importance of ambiguity and nuance. He wrote something that I think is remarkable."
Obviously, Driver is not going to bad mouth Star Wars 8, but it's nonetheless great to hear him be so optimistic about the film's potential quality. On the heels of the record-breaking Force Awakens, expectations for the followup will be immense. Johnson's script in particular has been the subject of much acclaim already, with Daisy Ridley giving it her stamp of approval shortly after Episode VII opened. Additionally, Star Wars 7 director J.J. Abrams said Johnson's screenplay is so strong, he wishes he could direct it himself. Viewers will undoubtedly have high hopes with all this in mind, especially with the promise of Star Wars 8 venturing into new territory as opposed to playing things "safe" like Force Awakens arguably did.
As for when moviegoers will be able to get a taste of what Johnson has up his sleeve, there is still a ways to wait. Kathleen Kennedy mentioned that marketing for Episode VIII will not kick off until after Rogue One has its moment in the sun, with Spring 2017 being eyed as a possible time period for the first trailer. Hopefully viewers are in agreement that the Star Wars 8 team has crafted a "remarkable" film, but if Driver (who is fairly selective about his projects) loves it, then things are definitely in excellent shape right now.
Source: The Daily Beast
