‘Star Wars IX’ Director On Carrie Fisher & The Scene Rian Johnson Shot

Though Star Wars: The Last Jedi is still roughly six months away from being released, fans are still eager to hear news on Episode IX, particularly concerning how production will move forward without the late Carrie Fisher. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow reflected on the loss of Carrie Fisher, clarified reports on the footage he requested from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and discussed the importance of filming on locations.

Trevorrow discussed how the team behind the film will try to honor Carrie Fisher:

“She had a major role in the film and it’s something we had to deal with emotionally at first. Now we’ve had to deal with it in very practical ways and in a form of storytelling we know is going to honour her and keep her soul alive, but it is an unfortunate reality that we’re just going to have to handle. It’s been tough emotionally – and logistically we’ll figure that part out, but she was just very important to the Star Wars family and that was the hardest part.”

Trevorrow also addressed reports on how he got director Rian Johnson to film an extra scene for The Last Jedi, explaining that the footage consists of a small moment rather than an entire sequence:

“Not even a whole scene, just a tiny little moment. But it’s amazing how tiny moments can be… I think that’s almost become a right of passage now, for each director to ask for just one little thing. What that is to me is representative of how collaborative the Lucasfilm environment is. Now that Rian is finishing his film I definitely check in with him as much as I can.”

Trevorrow also discussed the importance of filming on locations and why Ireland is perfectly suited to be used in a Star Wars film:

“I think what’s most important about the locations in Star Wars is that they connect us to something on our planet that is elemental and deeply recognizable as a space that humans have set foot on and feels real, and yet has a little bit of the element of the other-worldly, and has an almost-spiritual connection to the earth. And I think that Ireland, especially the island that we used in the film, has that. It’s slightly hyper-real, yet we know it’s really there.”

Are you excited for the next two chapters of the main Star Wars saga? Share your thoughts below!

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran and Benicio del Toro.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in theaters on December 15, 2017.

Source: Irish Examiner [1,2]