Over a year and a half ago, director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm brought Star Wars: The Force Awakens to the big screen, and with it, they officially reinvigorated the Star Wars film franchise, which had laid dormant for a solid decade. While some may call that film too safe or predictable, it was just the kind of film one would want to help inject new life into a franchise. It was fun, it was fast-paced, and it retained that spirit of high adventure that had made the original series so impactful. Without a doubt, Abrams brought a steady hand to the film that was needed to help set the tone.

For the second film in this sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Looper director Rian Johnson is taking the helm. From all we heard, this will be a decidedly darker entry in the franchise — taking its cue from The Empire Strikes Back. However, while the film itself will likely have a more grim aura around it, it doesn’t sound like Johnson himself brought that with him to the set.

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Speaking with EW, star John Boyega discussed the “different energy” the director brought to the set:

“Being a different person comes with a different energy, a different perspective, and Rian definitely has his own unique style. Rian is just fun. Rian is just a fun guy. I have a feeling he is Santa Claus. I think Santa Claus is a part time director when it comes to December. He grows out the beard then does his thing, because he just so giving, he’s cheerful on set, and it’s always a fun time.”

But just because he’s more “fun,” don’t think that to mean that they aren’t taking this very seriously. From the sound of it, Johnson really took advantage of the position he was in to push the franchise to new heights.

Boyega continued:

“What people fail to understand sometimes is that the success of these stories that will stay with us long-term is to bring new ideas, is to expand the universe. So we can have new stories, new people, just a different perspective is awesome. [Rian] had a chance to really go crazy, and I’m a big Star Wars buff so certain things I saw I was just like ‘Well, that’s a first.’ And that, for me, is really cool to experience.”

We’re excited to see more “firsts” in this franchise. Given how black-and-white Star Wars tends to be, any chance to see it color outside the boxes is a welcome one.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15, 2017.

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SOURCE: EW