Star Wars: Episode VIII will start production soon and one of the actors in the cast says the sequel will be a whole lot darker than Star Wars: The Force Awakens …
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a film built on the premise of reconnecting the Star Wars movies of the past with the new Star Wars films of the future. The story takes place approximately 35 years after the end of Return of the Jedi and director J.J. Abrams had the unique opportunity to connect the two words and by all accounts, he did so beautifully.
But now that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is completed, the work will soon begin on Star Wars: Episode VIII written and directed by Looper creator Rian Johnson.
After handing the project over to Johnson, Abrams admitted that the script for the new Star Wars sequel was so good he actually regretted not sticking around to direct it himself.
Now John Boyega — who plays Finn in the movie — says that Star Wars: Episode VIII might just be the new franchise’s answer to The Empire Strikes Back — the Star Wars film many fans consider to be the best of the entire series.
“It’s great. Much darker, but we’re very excited,” Boyega told Vogue recently.
SPOILER ALERTS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
At the end of the last film, Kylo Ren murders his father Han Solo but ends up shot by Chewbacca, which leaves him weakened as he attempts to face off with both Finn and Rey before the Starkiller base is destroyed. Kylo beats Finn but is eventually defeated by Rey in single combat as his master Supreme Leader Snoke orders him back to complete his training. The movie ends with Rey finding Luke Skywalker at the last temple of the Jedi where she will reunite with the last living Jedi to hopefully enlist his help while likely beginning her own training to become a Jedi knight.
Now the story will obviously pick up from there but how far in the future, nobody knows for sure. Johnson did a masterful job with Looper, which was a very dark, grim look at the future and if he brings any element of that to Star Wars: Episode VIII, this could be another Empire Strikes Back without a doubt.
Star Wars: Episode VIII will land in theaters on May 26, 2017 so technically we are only about 17 months away from seeing what this new movie will look like on screen!
