‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Director On ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Comparisons

One of the common complaints about The Force Awakens is that it was too similar in story structure to the original 1977 Star Wars, nowadays referred to as A New Hope. I would argue that, while on the surface there are a lot of similarities, the film offered up so much more with the addition of exciting new characters and places being introduced into the Star Wars Universe, as well as the long-overdue return of some fan favorites from the original trilogy. Looking ahead to the next saga film, the same critics and fans that criticized The Force Awakens for being a “remake” or “retread” of A New Hope may be looking to say the same about The Last Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back, however, writer/director Rian Johnson is here to put your concerns to rest.

While speaking to Entertainmet Weekly, Johnson addressed the similarities and differences between The Last Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back.

“I just tried to kind of ignore that aspect of it and have the story take the shape that it needed to, but look, Rey is off in a remote location with a Jedi master, and the Resistance is in a tough spot, and we’re intercutting those stories. By its very nature, there are some structural parallels. But these are new characters, they’re dealing with new things, and that ultimately is what defines the movie. So I think that’s going to be unique.”

The next chapter in the Star Wars saga will be Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Domhnall Gleeson as General Armitage Hux, Benicio Del Toro as “DJ,” Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Jimmy Vee as R2-D2.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters December 15, 2017.

Source: Entertainment Weekly