Rian Johnsons Says Rey And Ren Are “Two Halves” Of The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy’s Protagonist

Two of the original Star Wars trilogy's heroes might be appearing in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, however the sequel trilogy installment is focusing on a new set of protagonists, Daisy Ridley's Force sensitive Jakku orphan, Rey, and Adam Driver's temperamental Vader fanboy, Kylo Ren.

As The Last Jedi slowly approaches its release date, director Rian Johnson tells fans that the conflict between Ren and Rey might be more complicated compared to the regular hero vs villain story arc.

Speaking in an interview with Comicbook, Johnson says that instead of playing the roles of hero and villain, Rey and Ren are actually both the protagonists of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

"Rey and Kylo are almost two halves of our protagonist. It's not like Kylo is our Vader. In the original trilogy, Vader is the father — he's the one you're afraid of and who you want the approval of. Whereas Kylo represents anger and rebellion, the sometimes healthy — and sometimes not — desire to disconnect from the parents. It's my favorite kind of quote-unquote bad guy, because you can genuinely see what their weakness is."

It's interesting that Johnson calls the Rey and Kylo "two haves" of the sequel trilogy's protagonists. Does this mean that Lucasfilm is set on giving Kylo Ren his own redemption arc in the movie the same way the original trilogy gave Vader his own chance at atonement?

Let's wait and find out.

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

Read: Rian Johnson Says Star Wars: The Last Jedi's "The Most Fun" He's Had