...and now like I said, reports coming out the RJ is out. (thankfuckingchrist)

Rian Johnson has made multiple better movies then any Star Wars film.

LOL, the RJ apologists actually think it's HIS call.

come now.

I'd be disappointed if RJ is no longer making his Star Wars trilogy, regardless of who's choice it was.

That said, I can't find any news that says he's out. The most I can find is Iger saying there will be a "hiatus" on films after TRoS.
https://www.cnet.com/news/star-wars-...-of-skywalker/

Iger also recently stated that he doesn't think there's much demand for standalone Star Wars films, which doesn't rule out a trilogy.
https://www.businessinsider.com/dema...alysis-2019-11

I do think they may have taken the wrong lesson from Solo, which had more to do with its content and appeal than the fact that it was standalone.

Still, I think Disney has taken the "niche audience" aspect to heart in looking to make more Star Wars TV shows. I'm not sure that there was a single standalone film one could easily tell about Obi-Wan's life in-between the PT and OT, as by definition nothing that "epic" could've happened to him. On the other hand, a live-action series could tell a number of more low-key stories about him during that time. Similarly, maybe Solo could've worked as a TV series better. They clearly wanted to set up a multiple movie arc, so telling those multiple movies as a series of episodes in a show maybe could've worked. All the winks to how Han gained all of his defining characteristics could've also been a bit more tolerable doled out slowly over a TV series that takes place over the course of months to years, instead of jammed into a single two-hour movie that seems to largely take place over 3 days.

But the main thing with the movies is that you just have to make a good movie the creator is passionate about. I feel like Solo lost that passion when it lost its original directors, and while Ron Howard is good, and maybe was interested in the project and wanted to make as good a film as he could, it wasn't a film that started from him, something that he brought to Lucasfilm to ask if he could make it.

I think a hiatus is good. Give Lucasfilm time to let a few projects develop, percolate for a while, see if the writer/director's vision meshes with where Lucasfilm is comfortable taking the franchise. I wouldn't rule out standalones altogether though.

Isn’t LucasFilm just a name now? They don’t have any say, do they? I mean all writers and creative under Disney and they run show now, don’t they?

Star Wars doesn't need a break. It needs vision and leadership. Behind the scenes it's a fucking shitshow. Directors coming and going. They can't seem to get anything off of the ground. They've had to reshoot two of the films.

I think the real reason Solo ate shit at the box office is because TFA poisoned the character. It's difficult to invest in the adventures of young Han Solo when we know he's going to die a failed, broken old man, impaled by his own asshole kid.

I don't think it's fair to call Rogue One a complete "reshoot" - almost all movies go back for a few reshoots, which is what happened with Rogue One. While Tony Gilroy did those, my understanding was that Gareth Edwards was still involved. Solo on the other hand is completely different - you had the directors fired after 80 percent of the movie was done and most of the movie was then re-shot.

There's a rumor going around that Lucasfilm is going to be swallowed by Marvel Entertainment and that Kevin Feige is just going to take over Star Wars, while Kathleen Kennedy will keep her title, but be focused on other Lucasfilm stuff, like the upcoming Indiana Jones flick.

Nobody from Disney or Lucasfilm is going to be very forthcoming about any behind the scenes turmoil, so we can't really know for sure. It's probably safe to assume that most of the stuff going on was probably worse and more extensive than the official company line.

With Rogue One, I've heard that they essentially reshot the entire third act. One thing I do know is that the trailers and the finished film seem quite different. While it's true that reshoots aren't uncommon, I get the feeling that both Rogue One and Solo went through a lot of major changes after the cameras started rolling.

At any rate, it would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall at Lucasfilm. I'm sure there's a more compelling story in the offices there than there is on the screen.

I'm sort of torn on the prospect of Feige taking over Star Wars.

On one hand, he pulled off a really amazing trick with the MCU. Even when they lost directors (Patti Jenkins, Edgar Wright) and had some behind the scenes issue (Age of Ultron) they still managed to keep the train chugging along. The biggest issue that showed up onscreen was probably the internecine rivalry between the film unit and the tv unit, and that was more about an executive power struggle over control.

But on the other hand, Star Wars is not Marvel. They're very different franchises, and need to be managed differently. Marvel is mostly composed of individual superheroes and groups of superheroes who operate on early 21st century Earth. Star Wars covers an entire galaxy of populated worlds and spans thousands of years. There's a looser sense of continuity, but a deeper mythology that needs to be managed. If anything, I think that Disney has been attempting to run the creative aspect of the Star Wars universe like they do the MCU, and it hasn't really worked. I can't help but think that TFA, TLJ, and Solo films feel somewhat "Marvelish" -- safe and familiar.

Lucasfilm is a division within Disney. It has its own president, Kathleen Kennedy. It's like Marvel Studios with Kevin Feige at the helm, or Pixar with... Jim Morris at the helm.

Disney has ultimate say, but they tend to let their divisions run semi autonomously. Iger isn't making day-to-day creative decisions.

For example, for Solo, it was Kathleen Kennedy who fired the original directors and picked the replacement. However, Lucasilm also wanted to push back the release date from May to December, like they had for the last 3 Star Wars films. The last 3 times Disney allowed it, but for some reason Disney wouldn't budge on the release date for Solo.

Oh yeah? Just wait 'till Feige reveals that the Inifinity Stones were kyber crystals a long, long time ago.

MACLUNKEY!!!!!

Guess I'll take solace that he doesn't yell NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! instead.

It's actually growing on me, lol. Apparently the streaming versions are the new 4K scans done in 2011-12...now being seen for the first time. I'm not watching in 4K but the color grading is much improved and the contrast has been brought back to normal levels. If you recall the OT blu-ray release had the colors over saturated (esp in ANH) and the contrast pumped up too high, crushing shadow detail.

How many f-ing times are they going to change this scene? Guess that pretty much confirms the OT will never see the light of day.

This will be the last time. Lucasfilm confirmed to Vanity Fair that George Lucas made this change before selling the studio in 2012. The Disney+ versions were apparently from 4K scans/remasters that were done in anticipation of the theatrical 3D re-releases Lucasfilm was planning at one point, and George Lucas seems to have taken it as an opportunity to fiddle with them one last time. Nobody at Lucasfilm/Disney is going to alter these films any further, but they're also not likely to let Lucas keep fiddling with them anymore.

I wouldn't count them out just yet. I still think there's a chance they'll show up as a "bonus feature" on a release some day, but they'll never be the "official" versions and sold on their own.

I really wish they would retool it one last time. Not all of the changes were bad. There were some definite good changes and quality improvements but the bad changes are really REALLY bad. Some of these fan cuts are perfect.

I’m going to start randomly yelling “McKlunky!” at strangers, then peg them with water balloons or shoot them with paint balls. Been looking for a new, uniquely eccentric hobby!