STAR WARS: That Rian Johnson Rumor That Shook The Internet | The Cantina

Welcome back to The Cantina where we definitely serve your kind. I’m your bartender Kyle Malone and I’m serving up tall glasses of nothing but Star Wars.  By now you know I am the dedicated, well versed in the EU, experienced gamer, and open-minded fan this world needs. I see the flaws in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but also the great moments too. I know the importance of The Empire Strikes Back but see how strong Return of the Jedi is. I see that the prequels… well… we’ll get there… maybe. There’s nothing more satisfying than a great Star Wars story, and I want more! 

Recent News:

Wow… So that happened. Last night gave the world of Star Wars fans a roller coaster ride for both sides of the Rian Johnson divide. If you didn’t know or notice, ever since The Last Jedi came out in 2017 the fandom has been split almost in half. Rian Johnson’s turn at the helm of the beloved saga saw him struggle with logical military tactics, take bold moves with the story threads laid down by J. J. Abrams, and take risks with the legendary Luke Skywalker. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of feelings on the film, all of us can agree that there’s a rift.

Before the release of The Last Jedi, Disney was high on early reactions to the film and green lit a new trilogy of Star Wars films that would be helmed by Rian Johnson. This trilogy would not be a part of the Skywalker Saga and provide the director with a large sandbox to play in. Fast forward to the opening weekend of Episode VIII and that opportunity seemed to be on shaky ground. Little to nothing has been said since 2017 on this topic… Until last night. The website and social media of Super Bro Movies reported on a rumor that Rian Johnson’s trilogy had been canceled. This spread across social media like wildfire and saw people rejoicing and cursing this purported decision by the House of Mouse. There was never an official announcement, but this didn’t stop other outlets from reporting on the situation. There were even live YouTube discussion videos going on, but within the hour Johnson himself would tell us that the rumor wasn’t true.

To their credit, Super Bro Movies released a statement about the situation:

Reading through the comments last night was interesting. When the rumor was “true” there were a lot of defenders that were angry Rian was “done”, but there were so many people celebrating. When the rumor proved to be false the roles switched. I have always looked at Star Wars as a near religious experience. The fans of this franchise have put it at the center of a large part of their lives. I have spent years reading books, playing games, and discussing the saga and my emotions for it run deep. I understand the anger and disappointment in the last movie, but I also understand those that loved it. If you’ve been reading The Cantina (THANK YOU) you’ll know that I fall in the middle of love and hate for The Last Jedi. I think everything dealing with military tactics and Canto Bight is terrible, but I see so much Expanded Universe influence in Luke and love everything with him, Rey, and Kylo. Also, there are things I wish would have been followed through from The Force Awakens. However, The Last Jedi came and went and what we were given should not be undone. Read my more extensive thoughts HERE.

Honestly, I do not think this trilogy will ever come to fruition with Johnson at the controls. Disney is first and foremost a business, and the only thing that matters to them is money. Given how divisive Johnson is, I believe it makes smart business sense to put some distance between him and the company. Disney has already stated that they’re pumping the brakes on the anthology films, canceling (Thank the Maker) the Boba Fett movie, and has made no announcements on films that will come after this December’s Episode IX. There is no official word, but I think logic dictates that Johnson will never make another Star Wars movie.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT:

Starting next week myself and Cam Clark will be reviewing one Star Wars movie a month via podcasting. We will be joined by a guest for each movie as we traverse the glaxay far, far away in chronological order. All of this will lead up to a special podcast the evening that Episode IX is released. Make sure you head over to the Los Fanboys channel and subscribe so you will know as soon as the podcast goes up. Join us in the conversation through the comments section. We start with The Phantom Menace on the 21st!

Last Call: Star Wars Moments

Star Wars brings joy to so many for just as many reasons. From the entertaining movies and amazing music to the unforgettable games, books, and toys there are countless great memories attached to the property. However, the greatest light can cast the darkest shadow, and everyone has a memory they would love to forget. Let’s take a look at a couple of bad memories from the galaxy far, far away.

Cam Clark: I think to be honest my worst Star Wars moment was actually my second time watching The Last Jedi. I was originally going to say after watching The Phantom Menace, but in actual fact, it took me years of lying to myself to realize that The Phantom Menace and those that came after it were truly awful movies. Whereas with the Sequel Trilogy, I was quietly optimistic about The Last Jedi. The Force Awakens was a decent first step even if it largely copied A New Hope, and I was excited to see what Rian Johnson could deliver.

After the first viewing, I was tentative of my opinion, I liked a few things, but I was unsure overall how I felt. I needed a second viewing and did so at my earliest convenience. When I exited after that I was in no doubt that this movie was in some ways as bad as the prequels. I realized this was not a new dawn for Star Wars, this was merely confirmation that a once blessed franchise has devolved into a very average set of space fantasy movies.
Kyle Malone: “Noooooo!” That is my worst memory. Okay, not just that horrible addition to Return of the Jedi but almost every addition to the beloved Original Trilogy since the 1997 Special Edition. I saw the SE trilogy in theaters, and most of the changes and additions were fine, but every time George Lucas could change something he did. By the time we get to the Bluray-Disc releases we have Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw in Return of the Jedi, a redone and expanded scene with Ian Mcdiarmid’s Prequel style Emperor and Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, CGI Yoda in The Phantom Menace, and the horrible “noooo” line also in Return of the Jedi when Vader tosses his master down a shaft in the throne room. Lucas tarnished his own creation. Lucas ruined the holy trilogy. I am lucky enough to have purchased the one and only set of DVDs with the theatrical versions of the films back in the mid-’00s. These are not HD versions though, they’re rips of the Laser Discs if I am not mistaken, but they are the only copies I watch.
What are your worst memories around Star Wars? What do you think about Rian Johnson’s trilogy? Let me know in the comments below! As always, May the Force be with you!

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