Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (December 2017)

[Julius]

2 hours ago, somme said:

I am wondering if the opening crawl of episode 9 will begin, "General Leia has been killed!" or whether they'll somehow use stand-ins/clever framing to have Leia in it for an opening battle, and to sacrifice herself for the Republic - which is something Leia and Carrie would probably have wanted. Personally, I'd prefer the latter. 

I'm still undecided on how I would prefer for them to deal with Carrie's passing in the films; whilst a sacrifice would give some fans closure, others might find it as glorifying the character's death just for the sake of it, and I'm 100% against the idea of stand-ins - it bothers me that so much of Hollywood thought someone like Meryl Streep would step in - and they've already stated that the latter and CGI are not something they plan on doing. Another thing worth mentioning, I think, is that whilst a sacrifice (such as staying aboard a cruiser to fight off the First Order whilst our heroes escape) might appease more casual Star Wars fans, it will be difficult to come up with a sacrifice that the more hardcore fan base hasn't already seen in the other new canon works. I also think shoehorning something in at the end of VIII or beginning of IX could be taken as disrespectful by some of the fans, especially if it includes sacrifice, as it would then appear to be an afterthought. 

I'm not against her dying of natural causes, though, whether we see it on-screen or not. Carrie was taken away so suddenly, and I feel like it could be an interesting part of the plot, as well as allowing in-universe characters, the fans, and those involved some closure over her sudden passing if Leia passed this way too. It completely depends on how VIII closes if they choose to do this, though: if Rey/Luke are captured then perhaps we follow them at the start of IX and, upon their return, find out about Leia's passing; perhaps before a final stand against the First Order are characters realise they have a moment to grieve, which they haven't had for months/years after being on the run and do so accordingly; or, seeing as we don't yet know about how Kylo/Ben views his mother, if he is to be redeemed, learning of her passing could be more than enough to turn him (I personally don't vouch for him being redeemed, but I think it would be interesting to see the conflict this would pose for him).

Whatever they do, I'd rather they not change anything in terms of film content when it comes to VIII - credits are another matter, though, and Leia's Theme, Luke and Leia and Han Solo and The Princess after the start of the finale would be perfect, in my opinion - as the film was already months into post-production before Carrie's untimely passing, and unless dealing with it now in VIII can somehow elevate the film - which I have my doubts about - then I feel it would be wrong to overshadow what has been said to be Carrie's greatest performance as Leia with an abrupt death; waiting until IX to deal with this gives them more time to figure things out and doesn't mean they rush head first into a polarising decision.

EDIT: also, just wanted to say that I have nothing but complete faith in Colin Trevorrow (the writer and director for IX), Kathleen Kennedy (President of Lucasfilm) and the Star Wars Story Group in finding a solution to this. I've said it elsewhere on the Internet, but I'm sure it's been  much harder on them, having actually personally known her themselves, then us fans - as connected as we are to Leia - and that's why I have no doubt that their solution will be nothing but completely respectful to both the great character and actress that we lost.

Edited July 20, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Julius]

I just gave this thread a quick scroll and, surprisingly, didn't see any takes on whether or not Luke is Rey's father. 

So, what is everyone's take on Rey being Luke's daughter, or do you think she's related to someone else we've already met? Or is she just Rey Random?

[somme]

27 minutes ago, Julius Caesar said:

I just gave this thread a quick scroll and, surprisingly, didn't see any takes on whether or not Luke is Rey's father. 

So, what is everyone's take on Rey being Luke's daughter, or do you think she's related to someone else we've already met? Or is she just Rey Random?

I hope she's not Rey-Random. I do want her to be Luke's daughter. Gives her father issues just like him, and Kylo and, well, I'm sure Anakin had some issues too. 

Also, it is about the Skywalker family. Fucking up the galaxy one episode at a time. Haha.

Though I do like one far-flung theory that Rey is Anakin. He was born of the force when needed and maybe she was too. Could explain why the lightsaber went to her, not Kylo. But whoever she is, I just hope she's not Obi Wan's, nor a nobody. 

[Julius]

12 minutes ago, somme said:

I hope she's not Rey-Random. I do want her to be Luke's daughter. Gives her father issues just like him, and Kylo and, well, I'm sure Anakin had some issues too. 

Also, it is about the Skywalker family. Fucking up the galaxy one episode at a time. Haha.

I absolutely agree, especially as I think this upcoming film - and the saga as a whole - stands to gain more from her being Luke's daughter rather than anyone else's from a story point of view. 

Whilst others might argue it's too predictable, I don't actually think the reveal of Rey's parents is supposed to be the big "No, I am your father" twist this time around, especially seeing as Daisy Ridley revealed that she thought it was obvious who Rey's parent/s were after TFA was released, and others involved have confirmed that it will be something dealt with in the film. You know, things you genuinely avoid doing if you're trying to hide a massive twist.

In fact, I'd suggest that this is due to the current state of cinematic entertainment - be it video games, books, TV shows or films - viewing twists and surprises as almost a necessity, which has programmed the audience to make predictions about such twists well ahead of their time. I'd even go so far as to suggest that Lucasfilm is playing into this and, by doing so, will be able to pull off other genuine twists throughout The Last Jedi, whether it concerns Luke's, Ben's/Kylo's or Rey's past, or another character altogether, such as Finn potentially being a First Order sleeper agent planted in the Resistance.

Quote

But whoever she is, I just hope she's not Obi Wan's, nor a nobody. 

The Rey Kenobi theory is probably the only serious Star Wars theory that's really grated on me as it's gone on.

I mean, forgetting the supplementary material in The Clone Wars and Rebels for a moment...pretty much everything he did in the films goes against the idea of him having a child.

I've also seen a lot more Reylo theories floating around these days...and the more evidence I see, the more likely it seems 

Edited July 25, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[bob]

Reylo as in, Kylo's daughter? Or sister?

[Julius]

3 hours ago, bob said:

Reylo as in, Kylo's daughter? Or sister?

As in romantic interest. 

It's pretty weird to think about - and off the table if they're related - at first, but there's quite a bit of evidence to support it (I'm not the biggest fan of the idea, though; guess we'll have to see how TLJ turns out).

[somme]

20 hours ago, Julius Caesar said:

As in romantic interest. 

It's pretty weird to think about - and off the table if they're related - at first, but there's quite a bit of evidence to support it (I'm not the biggest fan of the idea, though; guess we'll have to see how TLJ turns out).

1

Who knows about that these days, haha.

I don't see Rey finding love until episode 10-12 in 15 or so years time. 

[Julius]

28 minutes ago, somme said:

I don't see Rey finding love until episode 10-12 in 15 or so years time. 

I'm madly in love with Star Wars and yet I actually find myself - currently, I guess - not wanting Episodes X, XI and XII. Crazy, I know.

I can't pin down why exactly this is, but I can think of a few reasons as to why it might be the case, such as George Lucas only having originally planned for nine films to tell the Skywalker story (regardless of whether or not Rey is a Skywalker, I think Kylo, Luke and Leia can be argued to carry on this tradition), the thought of an episodic saga film not being scored by John Williams (I'm worried about him getting the chance to score IX as it is) or the fact that I want to see completely new ideas with a completely new set of characters without the necessity to tie the plot into the Skywalker story, such as an Old Republic era trilogy/saga, a story steeped in political drama or - as I would like to see - something completely new and off the wall.

The truth, I feel, is that this universe is so HUGE that to only allow the feeling of the development of characters or the passage of time over multiple films is lost if it's only going to be applied to the Skywalker-centric movies.

In LFL, Kathleen Kennedy and the story group I trust, but I want there to be films capable of capturing huge interest and box office without having to be an Episode X, XI or XII. 

I suppose it's worth mentioning the ring theory - and how LFL seems to be preserving it to some extent - had clearly been applied to VII and could hold up with ending the Episodes with IX or continuing onto a XII, but I do want to see a definitive and complete end to the Skywalker's arc in the galaxy far, far away before it becomes tedious in Episode XXIV. 

[somme]

Part of me is expecting episode 9 to end on a cliffhanger with the First Order winning. Not a cliffhanger in a TV show sense, the story will be nicely ended but the good guys won't win.

Then a decade or so later we'll have the next trilogy. 

There are many talented writers, producers, directors, musicians in the world, and barring Rey's Theme I actually found the score to TFA to be a little disappointing. And modern films generally seem to have less emphasis on memorable scores and they're always a lot quieter than movies from previous decades, especially the 80s. 

[Julius]

39 minutes ago, somme said:

Part of me is expecting episode 9 to end on a cliffhanger with the First Order winning. Not a cliffhanger in a TV show sense, the story will be nicely ended but the good guys won't win.

Then a decade or so later we'll have the next trilogy. 

There are many talented writers, producers, directors, musicians in the world, and barring Rey's Theme I actually found the score to TFA to be a little disappointing. And modern films generally seem to have less emphasis on memorable scores and they're always a lot quieter than movies from previous decades, especially the 80s. 

Yeah, that's how I think it will end too (I can see Kylo achieving his goals to rule the galaxy in IX - possibly by usurping Snoke). If this were the case, then the next trilogy would probably go about telling Kylo's journey to the light (coming full circle and reflecting Anakin's journey from light to dark, keeping the ring theory in place).

Whilst I agree that there are many talented individuals in the film industry these days, I think the chance of taking an Episode X, XI or XII almost instantly limits the story that you are allowed to tell (especially with the story group in place).

And, while I don't believe TFA to be the greatest score from the films, I think there is a depth that is only unravelled by repeat viewings of the film/listenings of the score, and it has much more depth and weight than any score to come before it in a Star Wars film, in my opinion. Rey's Theme was great (the piece and her two motifs), as were Kylo's two motifs and a lot of the work with the Force theme this time around.

[Julius]

So, Mark Hamill tweeted this before deleting it:

The question is: did he delete it because he was up to his usual fan-trolling, or because he wasn't supposed to reveal that?

in any case, we'll be finding out soon enough: this would mean the trailer is likely to drop on October 9th at roughly 21:00 ET - half-time of Monday Night Football - or 02:00 BST.

Confirmation will likely be provided during the weekend as GMA will likely release a teaser to the trailer.

In other news, I'm starting to get seriously excited.

[somme]

I'd rather they didn't bother with a trailer. We're all going to see it anyway. 

[EEVILMURRAY]

I hope Rey is Rey-Random as it is being termed here. 

[Julius]

7 hours ago, somme said:

I'd rather they didn't bother with a trailer. We're all going to see it anyway. 

Yeah, Rian Johnson (the director) and Mark Hamill have been very verbal about how there shouldn't be much else shown from the film, so I'm planning on avoiding absolutely everything once the next trailer goes up.

Despite what I just said about those involved, the film is premiering a week before its official American release date (the 15th), the largest gap between premiere and such a release under Disney's regime. 

@EEVILMURRAY at this point, I honestly think it's either that or she's a Skywalker in my eyes. Anything else requires way too much inorganic exposition (Skywalker could be explained through further Forceback visions).

I'm also extremely interested in where they take Kylo after TFA: if he is going to turn, do we see the beginnings of this at the end of TLJ? Because if not...I think there's a valid argument for him going darker and killing Snoke in IX to take control of the Galaxy (only if X - XII are planned too).

Edited September 20, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Julius]

Aaaaaaand the editing is complete: the film is finished. Around 83 days to go

Edited September 22, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Julius]

Final trailer has more-or-less been confirmed to be dropping 21:00 - 22:00 ET (02:00 - 03:00 BST) on the 9th (10th) by SWNN's sources, depending on the events of the game (it's playing at half time during an NFL game).

My calendar is marked, and it's great that it comes merely hours after BFII's beta closes.

The countdown to the film is really starting to kick in  77 days to go!

Edited September 28, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Julius]

According to CineWorld, the film clocks in at 150 minutes, which would make The Last Jedi the longest Star Wars film to date (8 minutes longer than Attack of the Clones) and roughly the same length as movie classics such as Apocalypse Now or The Dark Knight.

 

I have a great feeling about this...

 

[bob]

That's 9000 seconds!

[Julius]

A lot of convincing stuff going around that tickets will drop within days of, if not the same day as, the trailer, which is expected to drop on Monday evening/Tuesday morning (depending on your time zone).

Less than 70 days to go now!

[Julius]

Quote

LONDON, UK. (October 8, 2017)—Lucasfilm announced today that the trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi will debut in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the UK.

Following the trailer launch, tickets to the highly anticipated cinematic event will be on sale everywhere. Star Wars: The Last Jedi follows on from the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the most successful film of all time in the UK.

In the US, the trailer will debut during halftime on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” on Monday, October 9, during halftime of the US National Football League (NFL) game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears in Chicago. The game starts at 5:15 p.m. PDT/8:15 p.m. EDT.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in UK cinemas on 14 December 2017.

Just in case the hype train hadn't already left the station...

 

[lostmario]

So much hype, up extra early in the morning to watch the trailer.

[Julius]

2 hours ago, lostmario said:

So much hype, up extra early in the morning to watch the trailer.

For sure, can't wait!

Feel like getting up in the early hours of the morning is going to either wreck me or finally fix my messed up sleeping patterns; we shall see.

Also, not quite sure how this slipped in under the radar...but it did: 

Guess who isn't getting any sleep after they wake up at 02:30? 

...

Edited October 9, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Julius]

Finally, a poster that I can - somewhat - get behind!

And a trailer to boot:

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Dog-amoto]

That may have spoiled how they deal with the Carrie Fisher issue...

[Julius]

2 minutes ago, Dog-amoto said:

That may have spoiled how they deal with the Carrie Fisher issue...

I think that the best thing about this trailer is that, at first glance, it seems like it ruins a lot of things, but I actually think it's cut in such a way so that we can't tell what is where. Smart move LFL.

Personally, I don't think they've spoiled it: this seems like a massive misdirect to me, and I think that after what happened with Rogue One's trailers that Rian Johnson might have had a stronger say in what was and wasn't shown.

I actually think that the shot in question is from the end of the first act of the film, at a guess!