Ever thought that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is too much like “Star Wars: A New Hope”? Ever thought Resistance fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) was a bit too much like Han Solo (Harrison Ford)? Sure you did. The chief complaint about the movie was it was far too familiar, too Legacy-quel or Requel-esque (take your pick of the term) and not original enough. Well, in this “Star Wars Force Awakens Documentary” clip entitled "Poe Comes Back,” screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan spells out the intention: they wanted another character just like Han Solo!
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What will also go down in the halls of ‘Force Awakens’ lore was that Isaac’s character Poe Dameron was killed off in the original version of the script. “Originally, Poe was going to die, early in the film,” said Abrams. “And that was the script that Oscar saw. And one of his issues, wanting to do this movie was that he died early on and he was sick [of it].”
Lucky for him, he was able to convince Abrams to keep the character alive — good bargaining cajones, this is a Star Wars movie! — and the rest is history.
Meanwhile, what’s happening in “Star Wars: Episode VIII”? Much the same, Adam Driver joked in a recent EW Q&A. “They’re still at war. It’s still Star Wars,” Driver quipped about the movie that is shooting now. “They’re not at peace.”
What’s the difference between the films stylistically, going from J.J. Abrams to “Looper” and “Brick” filmmaker Rian Johnson? Their temperaments are different,” Driver said when asked to compare the two filmmakers. “I feel like there was so many moving pieces in the first one – just trying to solve it and set the vocabulary for what it was. There’s a lot of that anxiety is gone, because people have developed a language. I think it’s more of a testament to Rian coming into something very established and making it [his own]. I can’t wait to get on set, just because he’s so unassuming and intelligent and approachable. The script they’ve come up with is really great.”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray April 5. The digital download arrives tomorrow on April 1. Watch two-related clips from the Blu-Ray, including the "Poe Comes Back" spot, plus the aforementioned EW Q&A below.