Considering various rumors surrounding J.J. Abrams‘ Episode VII hit a fever pitch mere moments after he was hired for the gig, any talk surrounding the upcoming Star Wars franchise seems like quality time squandered. However, today we have a worthwhile update from the Lucasfilm camp for a film we likely won’t see for another three-to-four years (I know, stick with us here).
After reaching deserved acclaim for his sci-fi feature Looper, Rian Johnson recently got the writing and directing gig for Episode VIII (and possibly IX), and as such, every word he publicly exclaims is being heavily tracked. Already deep into development while at Lucasfilm, Johnson stopped by a recent Filmspotting episode (via Sun Times) to discuss the project — well, at least as much as he feasibly could.
Following a joke about getting “really excited about all the things I can’t tell you,” he went on to say why he took the gig: “The thought of it made me so completely joyfully happy. I wanted to to play in this world, of literally the first movie my dad put me in the car to see.” The Brick helmer then went into the “summer camp”-esque preparation for the film, including nightly movie viewings. He gave two examples, one being the Gregory Peck-led war feature Twelve O’Clock High and Mikhail Kalatozov‘s Criterion-approved drama Letter Never Sent.
Those looking for The Hidden Fortress-esque plot similarities here will likely be running around in circles, considering we barely know the first story inkling of Abrams’ film. If we had to wager a guess, Johnson might find inspiration with Sergei Urusevsky’s stark cinematography in the latter picture. By the sounds of it, these are just two of many films that are part of this developmental phase, but if one wants to take part, see them both below, available on Hulu+ and YouTube.
Have you seen both films? What do the inspirations hint at for Episode 8?