Rian Johnson defends Snoke’s death and the direction of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Few scenes in Star Wars they aroused as much debate as the moment when Kylo re fee a Supreme Snake leader in half during The last Jedi. The mysterious Big Bad introduced in The force awakensIt is said to be Darth Plagueis or some other ancient Sith mind, it was built with a threatening weight, just to be suddenly and shocking halfway through Episode VIII.

Now, writer-director Rian Johnson It is revisiting that controversial choice and doubled the reason why it was the right move.

In a new profile with Rolling Stone, Johnson turned not only to the repercussions that surrounds Snoke’s death, but also the wrong idea he made The last Jedi In isolation, without coordination with JJ Abrams. Johnson said:

“We were told. We met and I spent days with him and I was able to enter his head and all the choices he had made. That it was said, I communicated and went and made the film. And it was in the Middle of Force Awakens.

“In the end, I feel like the choices in it, none of them was born from an intention of” canceling “nothing. They were all born from the opposite intent of, how do I take this story that JJ wrote, that I really loved and these characters that he created that I really loved and really brought them to the next step?”

For Johnson, the goal was not to shock for the good or clean the work of Abrams. He says he took the president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedythe request seriously when asked to create the Empire is hit of the sequel trilogy.

“Kathy [Kennedy] He said: “We are looking at someone to make the empire of this series.” I took that assignment very seriously. Perhaps more seriously than someone would have liked.

“I guess he did not intend to do something that only nod to the empire – this meant trying to do sincerely what Empire made.”

So, when the time has come to face Snoke, Johnson saw an opportunity, not to remove a villain, but to raise another.

“This was, in reading JJ’s script [for Force Awakens]And look at the newspapers and see the power of the character of Adam Driver. The interrogation scene in the first film, between Rey and Kylo, was so incredibly powerful.

“Seeing this complicated villain that was created, I was so forced by that. This is a matter of perspective and phrasing, but for me I did not easily give up with Snoke.”

Instead, Johnson says he used Snoke’s death as a approved turning point to push Kylo Ren in a bad mode.

“I struggled to use it in the most significant impact way, which was to bring the character of Kylo to the next level and prepare it in the best possible way.

“I guess everything is reduced to your point of view. I thought:” This is such a compelling and complicated villain. This is what makes sense to go on to build. “

Of course, Abrams later he returned to the old school, bringing the emperor Palpatine back Skywalker’s ascentRevealing that Snoke was simply a puppet of the Sith Lord always.

Rey was also recited as Palpatine’s nephew, making the idea of not being “nobody” go back, another creative decision that divided the fans.

However, I love it or I hate it, Johnson’s vision for the central chapter did not concern the safe game or satisfying every theory. It was a question of moving power, demanding expectations and, for better or for worse, surprising the public.