Today’s franchise films seem to be largely driven by a sole vision. Probably the most well known example comes in the form of Marvel Studios’ Cinematic Universe. Yes, they have filmmakers comes in to tell separate stories, but at the end of the day, the studio has a final say at what goes, what doesn’t, and whether or not a certain approach will fit into this larger world they’ve established. If you’ll recall, this is one of the reasons why director Edgar Wright left Ant-Man — a project he’d been working on for well over five years at that point.

Whenever it comes to movies — and especially movies that exist in a larger universe — most fans understandably believe that the studios tend to put their filmmakers in creative bubbles to ensure that the story continues along the rails they have already set up for them. Admittedly, this is what I had assumed J.J. Abrams had partially done following his work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He may not have had an idea of EVERYTHING that happened in The Last Jedi or Episode IX, but there’s a good chance he had a general idea of how the story rolled out, right?

Turns out no, not at all. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm development executive Kiri Hart stated that Lucasfilm does not impose plot-point mandates, and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson even told the outlet he was surprised at how much Leeway he was given to tell the story he wanted to tell.

“The pre-set was Episode VII, and that was kind of it.”

You can imagine how intimidating of a prospect that is. Had I been hired to take it on, I would have figured they’d offer more than that. That’s not to say they sent him away on his own island. Hart stated:

“The whole team reads each draft of the screenplay as it evolves, and we try, as much as we can, to smooth out anything that isn’t connecting.”

But that seems to be where most of their assistance comes in. Surprisingly enough, they don’t seem to have a big master plan that they want to adhere to. Their interest seems, instead, focused on giving their filmmakers the resources they need to make a great Star Wars flick. Hopefully, when all said and done, this won’t lead to a franchise of films that feel at odds with each other, but it’s great to know that even in the big studio process, individual creativity is allowed to thrive.

What do you think of this process? Is it comforting to know that Lucasfilm allows their filmmakers some breathing room, or do you prefer them to have a more rigid, sole vision more akin to what we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Vanity Fair

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