Star Wars: Episode 8 director Rian Johnson confirmed to USA Today that the next Star Wars movie will begin right where Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended: with Rey handing Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber to his son, the reclusive Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
“I don’t want to skip ahead two years,” Johnson said, “I want to see the very next moment of what happens.”
But Johnson took it a step further than describing the Episode 8 opening, revealing also that Rey’s relationship with Luke will be a “large part of the movie” and offering additional details about the plot. Thanks to various leaks, typically to Making Star Wars, it’s long been suspected that a great deal of Episode 8 would take place on Luke’s planet-in-exile, Ahch-To.
Johnson described the internal struggle Rey will be going through. “Part of what she’s dealing with is the realization that she has this power and this gift,” Johnson told USA Today, “She’s taking her first step to coming to terms with this thing inside her that she never knew was there and is just starting to reveal its potential.”
Star Wars: Episode 8 is about Rey discovering the nature of the Force. In contrast with the mostly secular Rogue One, it sounds like Star Wars: Episode 8 will embrace the mysticism and spirituality of the Star Wars universe, with Luke stepping into the Yoda role.
Star Wars: Episode 8 is in theaters Dec. 15.
