After the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams admitted that he wished he was directing the sequel. But he only envied director Rian Johnson's helming of Star Wars: Episode VIII because of the script. And who wrote this script? Rian Johnson. So props to him. Catching up with Collider, Adam Driver, aka Kylo Ren, discusses the difference when going from J.J. to Rian.
Kylo Ren Talks Episode VIII Script
Giving no inclination or hints of a possible title for the next Star Wars installment, Adam Driver does admit that this franchise could be stressful. Makes sense, considering that George Lucas had to be hospitalized thanks to the stress of making A New Hope.
“Maybe this is just me thinking of myself, but I’m surprised [because] in their shoes I’d be way more stressed out than [J.J. and Rian] seem to be. Rian is coming into something that we kind of set up and he just took it to the next level in a really great way. He wrote it, too, and Rian’s writing is so clear. I learned a lot of things about my character through his writing. Some things we talked about before and some things we didn’t. He was working on [the script] while we were still working on the first one. To understand what J.J. was doing and take ownership from there is kind of a remarkable thing. And he’s the most polite, unassuming guy and he was appropriately territorial about some things but would still be the first to admit when something’s not working. A lot of times you need to rise to understand what the script is, and perhaps I’m beginning to be unclear, but he’s a great person to work with.”
Episode VIII the New Episode V
With Empire Strikes Back still considered by many to be the best of the franchise, a lot of fans are hoping to see the same bit of luck with this middle installment. Adam Driver is hoping the same, while also acknowledging that some similarities will likely be made.
“It’s great. It’s similar to how The Empire Strikes Back has a different tone. For that people always go “oooh, it’s dark” but I don’t know that it necessarily is. It’s just different in tone in a way that I think is great and necessary but also very clear. He trusts [that] his audience is ready for nuance and ambiguity. He’s not dumbing anything down for someone and that’s really fun to play.”
Considering that most Star Wars plot elements are inherently simple, it should be interesting to see what "nuanced" bits Rian has in store.
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