Rian Johnson On 'Star Wars' Fandom And Why 'The Empire Strikes Back' Resonates With Him

Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson is still in the early stages of writing his upcoming Star Wars spin-off trilogy, but as we wait to discover what he has in store for the future of a galaxy far, far away, Johnson participated in an interview in which he reflected on arguably the most beloved film in the franchise and the state of Star Wars fandom as it exists today. Read his comments below.

Johnson's upcoming murder mystery Knives Out received a rapturous response when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, but a recent interview with Uproxx eventually circled around to some Star Wars talk.

"As a kid, I distinctly remember being disappointed by The Empire Strikes Back," he said. "That was my first one. I think my dad took me when I was really young to see A New Hope. Yeah, no, I remember, especially in the context of Return of the Jedi, which as a kid I adored. And so, yeah, I remember very vividly [that Empire was polarizing for years]. But then Empire slowly became my favorite one."

When the interviewer said he remembered seeing it as a kid and being disappointed that it wasn't as fun as he expected, Johnson agreed, while also working in his thoughts about Star Wars fandom at large:

"Yeah. It sticks. That's why that's the one that, even though at that time I had that reaction to it, it stuck in me and it resonated with me. I remember the Prequels, that acrimony of the prequels. I think people forget exactly the tenor of the danger. We remember because we were in the thick of it. So, I mean, I don't know. I think that anything with a passionate following always has a passionate following and Star Wars is that, even more so. You can't be angry at one side of it when it's also the reason the positive is so passionate, you know? It's all part of the same thing and it always was like this basic thing. That's why I love it."

I remember him saying something similar in the wake of the response to The Last Jedi (some of which was propagated by Russian trolls), and even after all of the noise surrounding Johnson and his movie, it's clear to me that the noise hasn't killed his enthusiasm for these films. And while I can't wait to see what he does with those upcoming spin-offs, I'm even more excited about Knives Out (and its potentially follow-ups!). Knives Out hits theaters on November 27, 2019.