Star Wars Episode VIII "The Last Jedi" Coming December 15, 2017 (2 Viewers)

[TravisR]

I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually moves but I'm perfectly happy to see Star Wars movies back in May where they belong.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Episode VIII didn't move until after TFA opened. It'll be the same here with Episode IX if it moves, which I strongly suspect it will. If VIII is a hit, there's no bigger believer in release date voodoo than Disney at the moment. They'll move it.

 

[TravisR]

I'm hoping that they go with May just so I don't have to worry about a snow storm that is a possibility with a release in December.

 

[Tino]

Episode VIII didn't move until after TFA opened. It'll be the same here with Episode IX if it moves, which I strongly suspect it will. If VIII is a hit, there's no bigger believer in release date voodoo than Disney at the moment. They'll move it.

"IF" VIII is a hit?????

 

[Tino]

And my early box office prediction.

I say it falls between TFA and Rogue 1.

I say $750 million domestic.

 

[SamT]

Did you hear, Rian Johnson is no longer writing Episode 9. Why? They initially said that he would. Now he says no.

 

[TravisR]

I don't know what rumors said but I'm pretty sure that Episode IX was always announced as being written by Colin Trevorrow and his usual writing partner Derek Connolly. It seems like a tall order for Rian Johnson to write Episode VIII, shoot it, edit it, promote it and also write Episode IX. Johnson, J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan probably all tossed in ideas for Episode IX though.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I remember back when he was hired reading that he was signed to write and direct VIII and write IX. It seemed odd to me at the time, given the fact that directing a Star Wars movie is pretty much an all-consuming job.

Reportedly, they had to significantly change their plans for IX when Carrie Fisher passed away, so I'm not surprised that Johnson has nothing to with the writing now.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I was worried about the choice of Treverrow in the first place and that Johnson was writing reassured me. Now, not so much.

 

[SamT]

Yes it was no rumor, it was clearly stated that Rian Johnson would at least write a treatment for episode 9.

 

[Tino]

Never mind

 

[TravisR]

Copying and pasting from Wookieepedia:

It was also believed that Rian Johnson—who had signed on to direct Episode VIII—would write the treatment for Episode IX,[8] though this was later denied by Johnson.[9]

That first footnote is to a story from The Los Angeles Times on June 23, 2014 that says that Johnson's spokesman confirmed that he was writing & directing Episode VIII and writing a treatment for Episode IX but Disney declined comment on all of it. The second footnote is to a Tweet from Johnson on April 24, 2017 "That's old info, I haven't been involved in writing IX."

Based solely on that Tweet, it sounds like Johnson didn't directly work on Episode IX prior to the death of Carrie Fisher which makes sense since doing both movies at the same time would seem impossibly time consuming. I still think that all the previous screenwriters had ideas that ended up in Episode IX though.

 

[Tino]

I'm sure it was a collaborative effort.

 

[TravisR]

Here's a good article about this 'issue': http://collider.com/star-wars-9-rian-johnson/#images

 

[SamT]

The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson had a major favor to ask: Would Abrams mind changing the ending of his film?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson had a major favor to ask: Would Abrams mind changing the ending of his film?

I have to say, it makes far more sense to me that it would be R2-D2 there in the first place. BB-8 is Poe's droid; of course he was going to stay with Poe once he discovers that his owner is alive. Meanwhile, R2-D2 is Luke's droid. R2-D2 has the map that leads to Luke. R2-D2 is the last entity that Luke had contact with before disappearing. Of course you take R2-D2!

 

[SamT]

https://twitter.com/starwars/status/860232342429892608

 

[dpippel]

New trailer :

 

[WillG]

And my early box office prediction.

I say it falls between TFA and Rogue 1.

I say $750 million domestic.

Wasn't ESB the lowest box office performer of the OT?

 

[TravisR]

Wasn't ESB the lowest box office performer of the OT?

Yeah. I'm sure there's exceptions to the rule (especially now that successful movies have gone from "It was always planned as a trilogy" to never ending series) but it seems like the middle chapter of a trilogy is the lowest grosser.