Star Wars Episode VIII director says Luke Skywalker is central to film’s plot

We are 11 months away from Star Wars Episode VIII, but thankfully director Rian Johnson is giving fans a few more details about the highly anticipated follow up to The Force Awakens.

In an interview with USA Today, which was conducted before the tragic death of Carrie Fisher, Johnson revealed that the film will be a more enjoyable experience than most people expect.

“I want it to be a blast and to be funny and to be a ride the way The Force Awakens and the original Star Wars movies were," says Johnson.

Johnson also reveals Episode VIII will begin right where The Force Awakens left off, as Rey is standing in front of Luke Skywalker with his old lightsaber. He delves further into the relationship between Rey and Luke in this film.

“[Rey] not knowing what’s going to happen and also having a lot of expectations in her head about how this is going to go,” Johnson says. “It very much feels like what we all go through in adolescence, the dawning of this new chapter of our lives."

He adds, “A huge part of especially Rey’s character, something that was a really powerful part of her setup and something I really wanted to dig into with this."

As for our other characters like Finn and Poe, Episode VIII will dive deeper into their personalities as well.

“I wanted to know more about each of them, and that doesn’t just mean information or backstory," Johnson says. "Figure out what’s the most difficult thing each of them could be challenged with now — let’s throw that at them and dig into what really makes them tick by seeing how they handle that."

Of course, the central part of Episode VIII will revolve around Luke Skywalker.

Johnson adds, "What's going on with Luke Skywalker? I’m approaching it with a take that I hope feels honest and real and is going to be interesting to folks and make sense.”

Lastly, Johnson says he does have a title for Episode VIII, but he can’t show it off just yet, although some insiders may have already revealed it.

It’s going to be an excruciating 11 months until Star Wars Episode VIII hits theaters December 15, 2017. Behind the scenes, Disney and Lucasfilm are in discussions about how to move forward with the franchise following the death of Carrie Fisher. If reports are true, Fisher’s General Leia was to have a much bigger role in Episode VIII, and some insiders are indicating her role in Episode IX was even bigger.

[USA Today]