Rian Johnson Wants Audiences to Be Inspired By 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

After the the heartbreaking demise of a fan-favorite character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have been embracing for tragedy in the next film.

The trailers and promotional videos for Star Wars: The Last Jedi have teased some dark moments in the new film, and many fans have speculated that Rey or Luke Skywalker could go to the dark side.

At the media junket for the new film, I asked writer and director Rian Johnson if the audience will leave the theater happy or sad after watching the new film. Watch the video above to see his response for yourself.

"I hope they'll be happy and inspired and, you know, there's always a little bit of sadness in these movies but I hope the overall thing is it would be a thrilling Star Wars adventure," Johnson said. "I wanted to make a movie where you come out at the end and you want to run into your backyard, grab your spaceships, and start flying them around. That kind spirit, that's Star Wars to me."

New franchise star Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in the saga, also said that the film would be scary.

"It's sad, it's sad," said Ridley "It's not sad in the sad sense, it's sad when someone's grappling with their identity and they're asking questions and I think you feel more in this one alone Rey has been. She has so many questions that she's never been able to ask anyone and so I think that's sad, and then I think there is a sort of stubbornness that will make kids in particular not feel so scared."

And though Johnson has teased the movie would go to some dark places, he also said he injected a lot of comedy into The Last Jedi, befitting the saga's most charming moments.

"That's one thing I hope people will be surprised about with the movie. I think it's very funny," Johnson said. "The trailers have been kind of dark – the movie has that, but I also made a real conscious effort for it to be a riot. I want it to have all the things tonally that I associate with Star Wars, which is not just the Wagner of it. It's also the Flash Gordon."

We'll get to see how bleak the movie gets when Star Wars: The Last Jedi premieres in theaters on December 15.