- Star Wars: The Last Jedi was directed by Rian Johnson (born in 1973). As I often like to chain the movies I watch with a link, I watched Looper… his previous film, the day after. Looper is a splendid Sci-Fi movie and I watched a long interview of Johnson in the bonuses. I discovered an adorable geek with a fast brain, capable of talking about Casablanca, Akira, who wrote, organized and directed the movie, which “delivers an uncommonly smart, bravely original blend of futuristic sci-fi and good old-fashioned action”, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes!
- I really respect and understand that the Star Wars teams wanted this guy, as they wanted Gareth Edwards (born 1975) for Rogue One. Monsters was a haunting masterpiece (though very low budget), and his Godzilla was… really different.
- I have a third example : Joss Whedon. Smart father of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly (then Serenity), a great “space western”. After Cabin in the Woods, he was swallowed by Marvel Studios, directing two huge Avengers movies.
OK, here’s the pattern : smart directors swallowed by huge systems to make the biggest blockbusters.
Could it be a special Peter Principle?
Did we lose the guys for good cinema? Why?
a french toolbox 