As Rian Johnson prepares to bring his own vision to the Star Wars franchise in next year’s Episode VIII, the director is taking some inspiration from some cinematic classics.
During an appearance at Star Wars Celebration in London this past weekend, Johnson discussed his influences when it came to shooting Episode VIII, and the director revealed that he had required his crew to view two specific films ahead of production: David Lean’s 1957’s masterpiece The Bridge on the River Kwai and 1949’s Twelve O’Clock High. A Best Picture-winner Bridge stars Alec Guinness (the Star Wars franchise’s original Obi-Wan, in the role that also won him an Oscar) as part of a group of British and American POWs working to build the titular structure for their Japanese captors — and plotting to destroy it. Henry King’s Twelve O’Clock High centers around a pragmatic fighter pilot (Gregory Peck) who assumes command of a ragtag crew and attempts to whip them into fighting shape. It earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dean Jagger.
The connective tissue between the two clearly seems to be that these down-on-their-luck groups are brought together in wartime by an inspiring leader, one who boosts morale and helps them overcome obstacles as one tight-knit crew. That certainly appears to fit the narrative of where things left off in The Force Awakens, when the Resistance, having just taken down the Starkiller Base, must regroup and assess its losses (R.I.P., Han) following an intense battle with the First Order. Rey (Daisy Ridley) then seeks out the reclusive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in an effort to persuade him to rejoin the cause and help defeat this new pseudo-Empire.
Could Luke be the inspiring leader that the Resistance needs as it wages this new war? There are plenty of other candidates for the job, too, if the hugely popular new additions to the franchise (Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron) are any indication. We’ll see what Johnson and co. have up their sleeves when Star Wars: Episode VIII hits theaters on December 15, 2017.
(Via: The Guardian)
