We are almost exactly one year from when “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” hit theaters. In the 11 months since that film’s debut, Rian Johnson’s film has been the source of a ton of debate, particularly around the treatment of fan-favorite character Luke Skywalker. This was further exacerbated by actor Mark Hamill seemingly fueling the fire by voicing his displeasure with how the character was treated in the film. Sadly, time doesn’t heal all wounds, and fans are still upset about Luke Skywalker and ‘The Last Jedi.’
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Writer-director Johnson has been vocal on Twitter defending the choices he made about Luke’s characterization, saying that the hero acted consistently throughout the film and was exactly how the character from the Original Trilogy would have been three decades after ‘Return of the Jedi.’ Of course, this being 2018 and all, a portion of the “Star Wars” fandom feels betrayed by the filmmaker and still lets him know daily.
It appeared that Johnson was taking a bit of a step back from actively defending the film on Twitter recently. However, when yet another ‘Last Jedi’ debate began after news came that Lucasfilm was looking for a “course correction” with ‘Episode IX,’ Johnson couldn’t help but stick up for his film one more time.
He tweeted, “Hot take: Luke is in fact 100% consistent with his character (not the way he’s described in marketing blurbs, but his actual, based-on-his-words-and-actions character) from the [Original Trilogy]. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.”
Obviously, if you believe that ‘The Last Jedi’ was the best “Star Wars” film or the worst thing to happen to the franchise in decades, this comment won’t change your mind either way. But the fact that Johnson still defends the film, specifically about how he handled the character of Luke Skywalker is admirable.
We’ll have to see what J.J. Abrams does with ‘Episode IX,’ as it’s been revealed that Luke will most likely have an appearance. Will Abrams undo what Johnson did or is he continuing in the same controversial path? We’ll find out when ‘Episode IX’ hits theaters on December 20, 2019.
Hot take: Luke is in fact 100% consistent with his character (not the way he’s described in marketing blurbs, but his actual, based-on-his-words-and-actions character) from the OT. I’ll be at the bar if you need me.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) November 5, 2018