Rian Johnson Teases Why Luke Skywalker Is On That Island

The next movie in the Star Wars saga has a lot of questions to answer: Who are Rey’s parents? What’s the deal with Supreme Leader Snoke? And, perhaps most importantly, what is Luke Skywalker doing on that island?

The ending to Star Wars: The Force Awakens showed Rey traveling to Ahch-To where she found Luke, giving him his lightsaber. The movie ended before Luke could respond, leaving fans to wonder what he would finally say to the young Force-sensitive pilot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson recently said that the last question is central to the storyline of the film while speaking to Good Morning America at Disney’s D23 Expo.

“That was for me, when I sat down to figure out what this was going to be, that was absolutely the starting point,” Johnson said. “Not just what is that scene or what is that moment, but the bigger question of… Do we have some sense of what Rey wants from Luke? To me, the big enigma was what’s going on with Luke Skywalker.”

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J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm didn’t have that story aspect figured out, leaving Johnson with a lot of leeway for the direction The Last Jedi would take.

“Why is he on that island? He knows his friends are in trouble, he knows the galaxy needs him,” Johnson said. “Why would this hero that I grew up with have put himself in exile? To me, it was like, if we can crack that nut then we have something to start working with and then that will inform what their whole relationship is.”

Johnson has been cagey about Luke’s purpose in the film, though he did say the character will feature heavily in this movie after being absent throughout the majority of The Force Awakens.

We’re excited to learn what Luke finally says upon meeting Rey when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the second film in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. The film will deal with Luke training Rey to become a, and possibly the last, Jedi. Meanwhile, the Resistance, including Poe Dameron and First Order defector Finn, continues to fight against the First Order, led by General Hux, while Supreme Leader Snoke and his Dark Side follower Kylo Ren continue their mysterious plot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.

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