Page 19 - Star Wars Insider #194
P. 19

RISE AND SHINE



                                                                                             long time ago,
                                                                                    A        in a galaxy
                                                                                             far, far away, a
                                                                                             great adventure
                                                                                             took place. It
                                                                                             has taken nine
                                                                                 movies for this story of good
                                                                                 versus evil to unfold, spanning
                                                                                 three eras of conflict linked by

                                                                                 the trials and tribulations of a
                                                                                 single family—the Skywalkers.
                                                                                   There is another story, of
                                                                                 course—the behind-the-scenes
                                                                                 history of how these movies came
                                                                                 to be made. Beginning with an
                                                                                 idea for a space fantasy devised by

                                                                                 a young filmmaker named George
                                                                                 Lucas, many more creative minds
                                                                                 have since lent their talents to
                                                                                 bringing Star Wars to the big screen,
                                                                                 across three trilogies and more than
                                                                                 42 years.
                                                                                   While new Star Wars tales,
                                                                                 and indeed sagas, will no doubt
                                                                                 continue to entertain generations
                                                                                 of fans for decades to come, The
                                                                                 Rise of Skywalker brings the story
                                                                                 that started it all to a close, and
                                                                                 those involved in making the
                                                                                 final chapter felt the weight of

                                                                                 expectation upon their soldiers.
                                                                                   “It’s amazing to think that in
                                                                                 1977 George created something that
                                                                                 would still resonate with people
                                                                                 today. So, to think we’re creating
                                                                                 the story that basically brings the
                                                                                 saga to a conclusion, there is a huge
                                                                                 responsibility associated with that,”
                                                                                 says Lucasfilm president Kathleen

                                                                                 Kennedy.
                                                                                   “There was certainly a lot to
                                                                                 consider, as a fi lmmaker,” admits
                                                                                 director J.J. Abrams, who reignited
                                                                                 the Star Wars saga with 2015’s
                                                                                 The Force Awakens and returns to
                                                                                 complete what he started with The
                                                                                 Rise of Skywalker. “It’s not just the
                                                                                 end of three movies, but rather the
                                                                                 end of nine movies, and we wanted
                                                                                 to make the conclusion that both
                                                                                 the saga and the fans deserve.”

                                                                                 High Expectations
                                          “We wanted to make                     In order to achieve this goal,
                                            the conclusion that                  Chris Terrio— who won an Oscar
                                              both the saga and                  as screenwriter of Argo (2012)—
                                                                                 joined Abrams to pen the movie’s
                                              the fans deserve.”                 script. “Chris brought so much
                                                   J.J. Abrams, Director         to the project,” says Abrams.




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