Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson talks about Rey’s family, Kylo Ren and more
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is only a few months away. Fans have been endlessly speculating on whether or not we’ll learn who Rey’s family is. There are dozens of theories out there, from Rey being a Skywalker and Luke’s daughter to Ben Kenobi’s granddaughter. Writer and director Rian Johnson and some of the cast spoke to EW about Rey’s family, it’s importance, Kylo Ren‘s journey and more.
Johnson talked about what discovering the identities of Rey’s family means to her character. He said, “To me, it’s important insofar as it’s important to her. And I think it’s important to her in terms of what is her place in all of this? What’s going to define her in this story? She was told in the last movie that the answer’s not in the past; it’s looking forward. But she’s showing up on this island to talk to this hero from the past.” Despite the advice, Johnson says that Rey, “…holds onto the thought that where she comes from will help define where she’s going.”
Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, said that where you come from doesn’t determine your path. She told the site, “What’s wonderful is it’s not so cut and dry, who’s good and who’s bad and that’s not me saying, ‘Oh, my God, some people are gonna go bad.’ There’s always room for bad people to make good decisions and vice versa. Again, that could be nothing to do with your parents and it could be everything to do with your parents.”
We’re also going to learn more about Finn’s past. John Boyega said, “We will learn more about his past and where he came from, and potentially why he made the decision [to escape] that he made. I’m also very curious. The question that needs to be answered is why he decided to leave as a stormtrooper in the first place. We will find out just a little bit more about him.”
Johnson told the site about Kylo Ren and how his anger and the aftermath of what he did at the end of The Force Awakens is like the journey of adolescence and that his defeat by Rey is going to change him. “He’s definitely been knocked off base. The defeat that he had at the end of The Force Awakens, but even bigger than that, his huge defining act which, spoiler alert, is the murder of his father… that’s the more interesting thing to dive into. How has he dealt with that in his head? Where is he at in terms of that act and what does that mean for him?”
Will we see Han Solo again? Johnson was careful with his words. He told the site, “Han, the ghost of – well, not literally…I don’t want to misguide. I have to be very careful with my words here. But a figurative ghost of Han had to be present throughout this entire film.”
Are you guys excited to maybe learn more about Rey’s family, Finn’s backstory and see what Kylo Ren’s dastardly act did to his psyche? Star Wars: The Last Jedi will hit theaters on December 15.
