‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Director Was Hesitant to Take the Job

Many prominent filmmakers aren’t shy to admit the impact Star Wars has had on their lives and careers, and many of them probably imagined making a movie with some of the most iconic characters in history.

But the prospect of actually taking the job is a daunting one, according to Rian Johnson.

The director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi recently recounted how he came to take the job for the latest film in the Skywalker saga, admitting to the New York Times that he started “freaking out” when he learned he was being considered to write and direct J.J. Abrams’ followup.

“It was really, really out of the blue,” Johnson said. “I had a few general meetings with Kathy Kennedy when she took over Lucasfilm. I never thought I was actually in the running, because I assumed every director on the planet would want to be doing a Star Wars movie. And then it was sprung on me.”

Johnson said the revelation felt like “a bomb dropped,” and he started to understand the significance of those talks with Kennedy.

“I suddenly realized, ‘Oh, this meeting is about this.’ I didn’t try to hide the fact that I was freaking out. But I also said, ‘Can I think about it?’”

From Brick to Brothers Bloom to Looper, Johnson became known as an auteur. Though he directed a few critically acclaimed episodes of Breaking Bad, he was hesitant to make a big budget franchise film.

“After Looper, I had been approached with other franchise stuff and gotten used to saying no,” Johnson said. “And I knew this would mean so much to me — the worst thing I can imagine is having a bad experience making a Star Wars movie.”

Johnson said that he thought Kennedy was ‘slightly confused’ by his decision to take some time, but it turned out to be an opportunity that he couldn’t say no to.

“The next few days, I couldn’t sleep,” Johnson said. “I thought I was going to do a pros-and-cons list, but the truth is, it was more a decision from the heart. There was no way I could not do this.”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.