The controversy over Star Wars fans and their reactions to the recent output from the series, mainly The Last Jedi, has caused quite a stir online. Not only have two of the significant female characters in the series deleted their social media due to abuse, but director Rian Johnson and anybody in his general vicinity has been swarmed by angry fans. It is truly ridiculous and shined some light on the past of the series to prove this isn’t a new occurrence.
The most recent thing to happen pulled in Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie to the discussion and ruined his desire ever to make a Star Wars film in his career. It not only showed how much Rian Johnson has likely been dealing with on a daily basis, but it also rang the bell for folks to come to the defense of both directors.
Logan and Cop Land director James Mangold answered that call without even being involved in the Twitter thread that spawned the issue. And with that, Mangold laid out a real concern that should give pause to fans who want to speak out. Jumping from McQuarrie’s swearing off the entire franchise, Mangold says that this type of “fanatical” reaction is going to end up driving any bold talent away and leaving it on the shoulders of the less talented:
At the point when work writing & directing big franchises has become the emotionally loaded equivalent of writing a new chapter of The Bible (w/ the probable danger of being stoned & called a blasphemer), then a lot of bolder minds r gonna leave these films 2 hacks & corp boards.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018
And as you can expect, this brought out a few folks who disagreed or brought up questions about what he was saying. Mangold handled it in stride, pointing out that Johnson, McQuarrie, and others are not just “corporate tools” and the disappointment fans are feeling shouldn’t always be aimed at them:
If you feel that is the case, if u feel the film makers are just corporate tools and powerless, then why bitch at us? In the case of @rianjohnson and @chrismcquarrie, i assure you these cats are not “owned”. They actually fight your battles behind the scenes.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018
The fervor of some attacks has an evangelical ferocity. Now, I get it cause for many folk, including me, the SW saga holds tremendous spiritual power, similar to a religious text. But we must remember to try to handle our disappointments the way Yoda might, as opposed to Darth.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018
He also mentions that Star Wars is on a different level than most franchises, keeping with the Biblical comparisons. It’s not far off either because some people do treat the films like a gospel, neglecting the fact that the Bible can be and is interpreted in many different ways. Maybe they should go ahead and make their version of The Last Jedi. Recast it and see how well they can do. It can be a modern take to the King James official version of Star Wars that is out there.
It’ll be terrible, but maybe it’ll keep people quiet.