We've had reveals from Star Wars Celebration and a teaser trailer that enlightened us on much of the first act, but the Vanity Fair Star Wars: The Last Jedi preview has given us the most concrete info on Rian Johnson's next entry in the space opera yet.
There are many constants in Star Wars - rousing score, sarcastic droids, sound in space and a seemingly never-ending run of planet-destroying space stations. But one lesser-recognized element is the Vanity Fair first-look; the magazine has had dibs on the initial images from each new Episode in the series since The Phantom Menace in 1999. And, positioned for the original movie's 40th Anniversary (at one point intended to be the release date for Episode VIII), the one for The Last Jedi was particularly special.
Between four different covers (a first for Star Wars), a in-depth series of articles, a beautiful photoshoot by Annie Leibovitz and an incredibly candid Reddit AMA from writer David Kamp, there's a lot to digest. To make it a bit easier, here's our breakdown of everything we learned.
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The First Jedi Temple (And Non-Jedi Village)
We've known for a long time that The Last Jedi picks up exactly where The Force Awakens left off with Luke and Rey on Ahch-To. The water planet spotted with jagged cliffs has long been assumed to be the site of the first Jedi Temple care of Han's line in Episode VII, and the Vanity Fair feature confirms that in no uncertain terms. It also reveals that the huts seen in the previous film's finale (real structures from the Ireland set) are in fact an active village, serving as the home to some non-Jedi indigenous creatures to the island described as caretakers and, a little more jokily, "not Ewoks". These may be the birds rumored recently.
Beyond that and those striking pictures, little more concrete information regarding Luke or his wish to end the Jedi was discussed. Johnson repeated the inference from Celebration that Luke and Rey's relationship wasn't going to be a harmonious Master-Apprentice one and reaffirmed that this time around we get "very different side of the Luke character". One little thing that was confirmed is that Luke has a brown glove over his cybernetic hand, meaning he was the one reading the Jedi book in the trailer.
Rey's New Possessions
In The Force Awakens, Rey didn't just uncover Force powers but also came into possession of two important pieces of Star Wars iconography: the Skywalker lightsaber and the Millennium Falcon. There's been some speculation over where there will finally end up, but it's now clear they belong to the former scavenger.
The weapon is, per the Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo, now referred as "Rey's lightsaber" inside Lucasfilm, meaning it's now transitioned to the new generation (in the process downplaying the possibility of Luke wielding it again). Nothing has been explicitly said about the Falcon, but as the pictures show her and Chewie in the cockpit (with Rey in the pilot's seat) the inference is that it's somehow now her ship too.
Luke's Green Lightsaber May Return
The former Skywalker saber isn't the only Jedi weapon floating around. According to Hidalgo, Lucasfilm has been keeping track of Luke's green lightsaber from Return of the Jedi and, although he way coy about details, it may still appear in the films. The lightsaber was last seen on Luke's belt at the end of Jedi (he reclaimed it before the Death Star blew up) and was used in sequel comic Shattered Empire, meaning he presumably still has it.
Whether he'll use it in The Last Jedi (or Episode IX), or he's developed beyond such rudimentary weaponry a la Palpatine, is kept a mystery, but it seems likely to be a factor in the expanding story in some form.
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Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern's Characters Confirmed
Even before The Force Awakens hit there were rumors Benicio del Toro was in talks to appear in Episode VIII, and in year after the casting was made official speculation has been rampant. Is he Thrawn? Is he Ezra? Is he a Fett? It turns out - unsurprisingly - none of these. That said, we're still not 100% who he is; per VF, the character was called "DJ" on the set, but that's not his real name. The filmmakers were incredibly tightlipped, saying that we won't even find out what he's really called in the movie (although the reason for the nickname will be made clear). He's described as a "shady character" and the actor says his performance took influence from Tom Waits. Odds are he's neither Resistance or First Order.
The other fresh addition is Laura Dern's character, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. A high-ranking Resistance officer, she has an overriding a purple dress sense, right down to her hair. Very little more was said about the character, but she'll presumably play a part in fleshing out the Resistance.
Finn and Rose's Undercover Mission
The other major new character is Rose Tico, Kelly Marie Tran's Resistance maintenance worker who was first seen at Celebration. Vanity Fair reveals that she has a sister in the rebellion, Paige, a gunner played by Veronica Ngo who is coached by Poe Dameron. Rose is apparently the biggest new addition, going with Finn on an undercover mission against the First Order.
Finn will first have to recover from the fight at the end of The Force Awakens, which will be accelerated by the bacta suit that was rumored a while back, was glimpsed in the teaser and is finally confirmed by John Boyega in an interview here. The actor also stated that, after spending a movie posing as a Resistance hero, this time around he really becomes the legend, both from word of his Episode VII adventures and his actions in The Last Jedi. One thing that's unlikely to happen with Finn, though, are any lightsaber duels - the star said that no more Force-related antics are planned after The Force Awakens' fake-out.
Canto Bight - Star Wars' Monte Carlo
During Episode VIII's production there was filming in Dubrovnik, Croatia rumored to be a casino planet, and now we have a name and a taste of the opulence. Stylistically, Canto Bight is intended to be a step up from the desolate, ravaged worlds that so far define Star Wars, but still fitting that "used future" aesthetic. The city is meant to be the rich, high-end side of the galaxy that, according to Pablo Hidalgo, exists "apart from the galactic struggle." Of course, that galactic struggle is coming to them, with the planet said to be somewhere Finn and Rose end up on their mission (and, if set photos are anything to go by, this will be a big event).
Canto Bight also featured prominently in the set photos; while it's a few class notches about the Mos Eisley Cantina, this appears to be where the creature shop get to show off their wares, with a wide range of new and weird alien creatures seen, albeit dressed in much more formal, in some ways un-Star-Wars-y garb.
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There Isn't Much Snoke In The Last Jedi
Snoke is barely referenced in the main VF coverage, and in the AMA Kamp revaled why; the Supreme Leader isn't in The Last Jedi all that much. The writer apparently asked Johnson about the character's much-debated identity, only to learn the director doesn't explore him much at all in Episode VIII. This could have just been misdirection, but it seems likely that the mystery of Andy Serkis' scarred puppetmaster will remain unsolved until May 2019 and Episode IX.
This is a minor detail, but does suggest the film will be focusing more tightly on Kylo Ren and the First Order than the being behind them, and like Return of the Jedi the sequel trilogy is saving its big bad for part three.
Kylo Ren Is Haunted By Killing Han Solo
The lack of Snoke is reflected in the presentation of the villainous trio brought over from The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren, General Hux and Captain Phasma. While Hux and Phasma at first appeared disposable, they're set to come back with a vengeance in Episode VIII.
The antagonists are all affected by their defeat in the last film, especially Ben Solo; Kylo has taken the full turn to the Dark by killing his father, but now has to deal with the deep internal scarring that's produced, wrestling with his actions. This is reflected in Adam Driver, who remained in-character - i.e. introverted and alone - at all times of set: "The things about that character that I find painful, that I really relate to, I kind of prefer to keep to myself". As a result, he refused a lunch invitation from Mark Hamill and cracking him becoming a running joke for the other cast members. Based on the images, the character definitely appears to be evolving, with no helmet and a new cloak.
Phasma is also unmasked with Gwendoline Christie scowling horrifyingly (something that wasn't always planned but will happen in the film) and boasting a retractable staff-like weapon.
It's Darker (But Has Humor)
One thing that's really apparent from all of the various quotes is that The Last Jedi is different to what's come before; as John Boyega said, "everything is being shifted in the opposite way to what the audience expected after VII". In the AMA, Kamp explicitly discussed how the film would tonally differ, picking up on two key running threads from conversations with Johnson; it's darker yet has humor. Apparently the former comes from the fitting "operatic" style Johnson is going for, but there was no indication where the latter comes in.
One major comparison to The Force Awakens, though, is that the sets will be mostly practical, continuing the Disney-era's balance of real and CGI.
The Title Came Before The Story
It's well known that the title of The Force Awakens wasn't decided on until after shooting; J.J. Abrams originally wanted to call his film Shadow of the Empire. It was presumed this would be similar for Episode VIII, but Johnson reveals that The Last Jedi "was the very first thing, when I had not even written the script" and that the name powered the story as it came together.
As for what the title means, the Vanity Fair story offers up two different angles. Kathleen Kennedy was typically tight-lipped, but the director revealed that he didn't think there was much mystery to it, it was intended as singular and while going in it's meant to refer to Luke, that could change over the course of the movie.
There's No Romance
One minor detail that severely plays against The Last Jedi being a remake of The Empire Strikes Back is the reveal from Johnson that there isn't a love story at the core of the film. As he says, there's "no one-to-one equivalent of the Han-to-Leia, burning, unrequited love. In our story, that’s not a centerpiece."
There was a lot of romance speculation coming out of The Force Awakens - Rey and Finn, Rey and Kylo, Finn and Poe - and Rose and Finn working together throws up another dynamic, but it appears none of these will be leaned on, at least not overtly.
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The Ending Wasn't Set When They Started Episode 8
Perhaps the biggest thing we learned about Star Wars as a whole is the approach Lucasfilm are taking to the story. As Kamp said in the AMA, Abrams and Kasdan hadn't outlined a full story for the trilogy and instead the succeeding directors were allowed to "write their films and make up plot and characters from scratch". It's been known for a while that things were open to change with the wider arc, but the true level of free-wheeling wasn't made clear.
In regards to The Last Jedi, the major developments is that it really is the second act of a story, with Johnson leaving plenty dangling for Trevorrow to clean up. Kamp said "he's made a mess that Colin [Trevorrow] will somehow clean up" and that Kathleen Kennedy views the film as the "conflict" of each trilogy's "Setup; Conflict; Resolution" makeup.
However, the ending will be known now - the article revealed that production on Episode IX will begin in January 2018. This is a similar schedule to The Last Jedi, with shooting starting after the release of the previous episode, although of course this time is operating on a shorter time scale; the next film comes out in May, not December.
Episode 9 Was Going To Be Leia's Story
This untimely death of Carrie Fisher in late 2016 looms large over The Last Jedi and how the film will handle Leia has been a major topic of discussion. Although the specifics aren't known, Lucasfilm have confirmed that Fisher's completed role in Episode VIII will be unchanged and that the character won't appear in Episode IX - be that through unused footage, recasting, body doubles or CGI.
What the exact original plan was for Leia is unclear, but according to Kennedy Episode IX was set to focus heavily on Leia - The Force Awakens was Han's story, The Last Jedi's Luke's, so it was only fitting to close the trilogy on the final member of the trio. The interviews took place during the reworking of Episode IX following her passing, so there's no more specifics in the piece, but Kamp did suggest in the AMA that "her absence/death will be alluded to in some elegant way".
The Next Standalone Is Probably Coming in 2020
As Rogue One's $1 billion gross proved, Star Wars isn't just about the Episodes anymore. Spinoffs are a big part of the franchise future and while we didn't learn much more about these from the Vanity Fair stories, Kennedy did drop two key-if-vague details about this. First, she said that despite no official announcement or release date yet, the odds are pretty strong the next Anthology movie after Han Solo will come in 2020. A decision is going to be made in June, meaning we'll likely get proper word at D23 in July.
The other detail is on a wider franchise scale - even if we don't get Obi-Wan/Boba Fett in 2020, the Story films are "Absolutely. Absolutely." a key part of Star Wars' future.
The Post-Episode IX Future
In terms of the main Skywalker Saga Episodes, Kennedy was more uncertain, presumably because a decision of whether to expand into Episode X, XI and XII is yet to be decided (or, indeed, if future Episodes will even be done in trilogies). However, Lucasfilm are grappling with that exact question: "Does the saga extend beyond the nine movies that George envisioned?" Lucas famously had written nine scripts back in the late-1970s and early-1980s, so even though his treatments have been thrown out the sequel trilogy is firmly within his vision, but any further goes beyond.
If it happens, it sounds like it will be down to the success of the new characters, with Kennedy ending the discussion saying the realy aim is to figure out "what exactly is the story we feel is important to tell beyond Episode IX".
Random Points
And, finally, a few choice snippets revealed across the coverage:
- Although the director initially considered bringing in cousin and three-time collaborator Nathan Johnson to score short interludes, he confirmed John Williams has written every note of the movie's soundtrack.
- The set video shows Johnson on a water tank set that we haven't seen before - possibly an Ahch-To cave.
- Despite a lot of creatures appearing throughout the movie, there are no major non-human characters a la Yoda or Maz Kanata.
- As the end of The Force Awakens teased, C-3PO's red arm has been replaced to make him fully gold again.
