Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Says Fan Service is a 'Mistake'

It has been roughly two years since the release of Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. It's no secret that the movie has been divisive among Star Wars fans and the backlash is still apparent. And now, the director reiterates the reason for his creative choices in the film.

In an interview with Radio.com for the Swing & Mrs. Podcast (per IndieWire), Johnson shares his opinion on catering to the fans' wishes for his Star Wars film. "I think approaching any creative process with [making fans happy] would be a mistake that would lead to probably the exact opposite result," he said.

"Even my experience as a fan, you know if I'm coming into something, even if it's something that I think I want, if I see exactly what I think I want on the screen, it's like ‘oh, okay,' it might make me smile and make me feel neutral about the thing and I won't really think about it afterward, but that's not really going to satisfy me."

The director said he would rather be "shocked" and "thrown off guard" with what he'll learn in the story. "I want to have things recontextualized," Johnson added. He claimed that he would have preferred to be "challenged as a fan" when he'll watch the movie.

"What I'm aiming for every time I sit down in a theater is to have the experience [I had] with Empire Strikes Back," he continued. Johnson says he would want it to be something "emotionally resonant" and at the same time, it "connects up and makes sense."

He also mentioned that he'd prefer for it to "get to the heart of what this thing is" in a way that he would have never seen coming.

For now, there are not many details with regards to Johnson's upcoming Star Wars film, but he'll allegedly develop one in the future.

Also Read: Disney CEO Reveals Amount of Star Wars Projects in the Works is 'Smaller Than You Think'