J.J. Abramsisn’t concerned about the criticisms of Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jediand claims that most of the hate surrounding the movie is because someStar Warsfans are “threatened by women.“The Last Jediis certainly one of the most divisiveStar Warsmovies and fans all have very specific gripes about it and one of the main complaints that comes up over and over is the diversity in the movie. Some fans love Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, while others hate them.
In a new interview, J.J. Abrams explains where thehateforThe Last Jedireally comes from and he doesn’t pull any punches. The director’s main point is that the negativity surrounding the movie doesn’t actually stem from the movie. Instead, he believes that certain “fans” ofStar Warsfeel “threatened by women,” and believes that the internet is tailor-made for hate. He explains.
“Star Wars is abig galaxy, and you may sort of find almost anything you want to inStar Wars. If you are someone who feels threatened by women and needs to lash out against them, you can probably find an enemy inStar Wars. You can probably look at the first movie that George (Lucas) did and say that Leia was too outspoken, or she was too tough. Anyone who wants to find a problem with anything can find the problem. The internet seems to be made for that.”
As far as the complaints aboutThe Last Jediand the cries to have it officially removed fromStar Warscanon, J.J. Abrams is not concerned in the slightest. The cries and critiques will have no influence onStar Wars 9, according to the director. Instead, he admits to being excited to show fans where Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren are going in the final installment of the new trilogy. Abrams had this to say when asked aboutfan outcryand a possible effect onStar Wars 9.
“Not in the least. There’s a lot that I would like to say about it, but I feel like it’s a little early to be having theEpisode IXconversation… I will say that the story of Rey and Poe and Finn and Kylo Ren - and if you look, there are three men and one woman, to those that are complaining that there are too many women in Star Wars - their story continues in a way that I couldn’t be more excited about and cannot wait for people to see.”
J.J. Abrams is no stranger to taking over franchises andgetting criticized. He started with theStar Trekfranchise and is now working on his secondStar Warsmovie and he’s more than aware of the criticisms. However, the director doesn’t really care about it either way and probably would not be able to finish the next movie if he worried about every specific detail that fans want included. Abrams went on to discuss the passionateStar Warsfan base. He had this to say.
“I think everyone is going to have their point of view. Certainly, something I discovered early on in theStar Warsworld, is that you’re going to have an incredibly passionate and vocal fan base, and they’re all going to have a lot of specific opinions.”
There you have it. J.J. Abrams is not going to bow to fan pressure while makingStar Wars 9, which starts filming this summer. Women will continue to be a strong presence in theStar Warsuniverse, especially with Rey getting more powerful with her Jedi training and the reading material that she stole from Ahch-To. J.J. Abrams' perspective on the negativity surroundingThe Last Jediis not something that everybody will want to hear, but it’s his opinion and he’s the one that’s making anotherStar Warsmovie, not us. You can read more of the interview with J.J. Abrams over atIndie Wire.
