Star Wars: Rian Johnson Shares the Biggest 'The Last Jedi' Challenge Was the Special Effects

Filmmaker Rian Johnson has demonstrated his storytelling abilities in a variety of ways, from the high school-set neo-noir Brick to the sci-fi thriller Looper. Tackling a film like The Last Jedi would provide Johnson with many challenges, with the filmmaker revealing the biggest technical challenge was handling the film's massive amount of special effects.

"Honestly, the most technically challenging stuff are the space battles because those are the ones where, aside from the cockpits, nothing is real," Johnson told SciFiNow Magazine. "The practical effects, and especially the creature workshop, was much more fun."

Luckily, the filmmaker wasn't completely out of his element, as the production used a variety of practical effects to create sequences for the film, including the use of animatronics.

"They would put on music and they would have all of the creatures interacting with actors in like a little scene… And I would walk through this scene, and that's how I reviewed the creatures," Johnson recalled of the process. "That's how I saw them for the first time. It was incredible."

Of all the various creatures the internet has seen from the upcoming film, none of them captured the public's attention like the porgs, the small, bird-like creatures that inhabit Ahch-To.

"It wasn't until we got the actual puppets on set and the whole crew reacted with 'Oh my God, they're adorable!' and also then a few people in the crew were giving them that suspicious side-eye of 'These are cute, but are they too cute?'" Johnson recalled to Yahoo! about his first time seeing the creatures. "But the overwhelming reaction on set was everybody loved the porgs. And I love 'em, so you know what? I get it if people are a little wary of cuteness in the Star Wars universe, but I personally love them, and I think they have their place in the movie."

Johnson even made sure to ask, "Are you sick of them yet?" based on the endless amounts of love they've been getting on social media.

We'll be able to see the special effects for ourselves when The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

[H/T Tumblr]