It seems that The Last Jedi is never going to escape the controversy that surrounds it. Even now, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker already available for home viewing, debate over The Last Jedi continues. This time, however, the controversial remarks come not from director Rian Johnson, but rather a Star Wars editor. In a recent interview, the editor effectively accuses Johnson of deliberately derailing the story line set out in The Force Awakens.
Editor Mary Jo Markey, together with fellow editor Maryann Brandon, recently appeared on the podcast Light the Fuse. While Brandon was slightly more deferential to Rian Johnson, Markey was not. In fact, she didn’t mince her words at all when it came to Johnson’s vision for The Last Jedi.
Editor accuses Rian Johnson of undoing sequel trilogy story line
It’s very strange to have the second film so consciously undo the storytelling of the first film. I’m sorry, that’s what it felt like. I don’t even feel like that’s true about the third film. It took where the second film ended and tried to tell a story, I didn’t feel like it was consciously trying to… it didn’t feel that way.”
~ Mary Jo Markey on The Last Jedi
Markey’ comments about Rian Johnson and The Last Jedi echo how a lot of fans feel regarding the film. Namely, for many, the film felt like too big a departure from both the existing Star Wars saga and its method of storytelling. That’s especially true with the Luke Skywalker story arc; even Mark Hamill himself criticized that. The comments also touch on accusations of The Rise Of Skywalker attempting to unwind Johnson’s prior undoing of the overall sequel trilogy story.
However you feel about Rian Johnson, there’s no questioning the fact that The Last Jedi divided a fan base. To have studio insiders now openly criticizing his choices, however….
Sources: Light the Fuse; CBR
