J.J. Abrams: 'The Last Jedi' Backlash Won't Alter 'Star Wars: Episode IX' 'in the Least'
J.J. Abrams directed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," then stepped away as Rian Johnson directed "The Last Jedi." With Colin Trevorrow getting the boot, Abrams is stepping back up for the as-yet-untitled "Star Wars: Episode IX," coming out next year.
If you were hoping Abrams would knock Johnson's direction for "The Last Jedi," well, these are not the droids you're looking for. Not only is Abrams standing by his franchise man, he lashed out at the fans who called the diversity of "The Last Jedi" so much politically correct SJW feminist propaganda:
"Star Wars' is a big galaxy, and you can sort of find almost anything you want to in 'Star Wars,'" Abrams told IndieWire.
"If you are someone who feels threatened by women and needs to lash out against them, you can probably find an enemy in 'Star Wars.' You can probably look at the first movie that George [Lucas] did ['Star Wars: A New Hope'] 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."
IndieWire asked if the fan outcry would impact his vision for Episode IX:
"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 the 'Episode IX' conversation ... 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."
Good for him. And it's not like he's a stranger to those exact same complaints, since he fielded a few after Rey was made the center of "The Force Awakens."
To be fair, the criticism for both "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" extended beyond the female-driven storylines. Then again, those of us old enough to remember when the prequels came out can also recall a similar level of outrage at George Lucas for "ruining" childhoods.
The box office receipts don't lie, and so far "The Last Jedi" has made more than $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. "The Force Awakens" made just over $2 billion.
"Star Wars: Episode IX" is scheduled to open in theaters on December 20th, 2019.
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