Rian Johnson Reveals Who 'The Last Jedi' Is

09/06/2017 01:27 pm EDT

With all of the turmoil surrounding the productions of future Lucasfilm movies, you might have forgotten that a brand new Star Wars film was right around the corner. But director Rian Johnson is here to remind you.

Now that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to premiere in theaters in three months, Johnson is opening up about his time in the galaxy far, far away, and even revealed the meaning behind the movie's mysterious title.

While speaking with the New York Times, Johnson said plainly that it comes directly from the beginning of the previous entry in the Star Wars saga.

"It's in the opening crawl of The Force Awakens. Luke Skywalker, right now, is the last Jedi," Johnson said. "There's always wiggle room in these movies — everything is from a certain point of view — but coming into our story, he is the actual last of the Jedi. And he's removed himself and is alone on this island, for reasons unknown."

After being absent for almost the entirety of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars film, Luke is set to play a major part in Johnson's story.

The first trailer released at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year was packed with explosive moments, but it also had an ominous sense of dread. Luke's voiceover indicates that "it's time for the Jedi to end."

"It sounds pretty dire. That's something that we're definitely going to dig into," Johnson said. "The heart of the movie is Luke and Rey. It follows all the other characters, but its real essence is the development of the two of them. And it's absolutely tied up in that question of, What is Luke's attitude toward the Jedi?"

Johnson previously said the first question he had to tackle when he decided to make the movie was why Luke would isolate himself, and everything else could work from that. It sounds like he's confident that Luke's journey will be compelling for Star Wars fans.

We'll find out for ourselves when Star Wars: The Last Jedi premieres in theaters December 15.

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