Daisy Ridley Says Star Wars Benefits From Having Different Directors

When it comes to the Star Wars saga, there’s no true precedent when it comes to selecting directors and writers to make the films in the franchise.


The original Star Wars movie was made by George Lucas. Irvin Kershner directed, while Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote, Empire Strikes Back. Return of the Jedi was directed by Richard Marquand from a script by Kasdan and Lucas. Then Lucas wrote and directed all three prequels (though Jonathan Hales co-wrote Attack of the Clones).

The sequel trilogy is taking the original approach as Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has selected different directors and writers to tackle all of the individual films. Series star Daisy Ridley spoke about why the movies benefit from the different teams during an interview at Disney’s D23 Expo.

“Everyone talks about… how different the direction is than what people may have been expecting,” Ridley said to Access Hollywood. “So I think that’s great, and I think that’s a massive benefit of having three different directors, three different writers for three of the different films.”

Ridley elaborated on the process, factoring the audience’s expectations and how it might have changed in the years since Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released.

“Because they are, they exist in different times — even though they lead straight on, it’s two years later for an audience to watch,” Ridley said. “Things change in that time and people have an opinion of where they want it to go. And, like Mark [Hamill] says… everyone has a certain expectation and some are going to be fulfilled, and some not. But I think with the expectation… the surprise will be wonderful.”

From all of the footage and all of the comments from cast and crew alike, Star Wars: The Last Jedi sounds different from any other film that have come before it. Knowing that director Rian Johnson also wrote the script, that’s not surprising.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters December 15.

MORE STAR WARS NEWS: Star Wars Fans React To D23 Expo Announcements / Our Favorite Moments From The Last Jedi Behind The Scenes Footage / The Last Jedi Director On Whether The Movie Wraps Up Carrie Fisher’s Story / Mark Hamill Wanted More Darth Maul In The Star Wars Prequels

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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