Unlike any of the other "Star Wars" films, "The Force Awakens" deliberately left several storylines and character arcs unresolved at its conclusion. Other films in the saga typically tied up all the loose ends, but "The Force Awakens" pointed to a larger tale that will unfold in future sequels. But how will they reach that point? As of now, that's a bit up in the air.
Though J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the script for "The Force Awakens," essentially setting up all of the overarching plots for the new trilogy, they are unsure how exactly "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX" directors Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow, respectively, will connect the dots.
"[The Force Awakens] sets up a lot of stuff," Kasdan told The Los Angeles Times. "There's a lot of people to deal with. And Rian took on that job and he's going to change it, because he's Rian. And I'm sure Colin will change what Rian does...We talked about [the ending] - and there's a certain thing that people who are involved with it feel should happen. There's a kind of movement that happens. But it's not in your control. It's going to veer off with Rian, and it's going to veer off another way with Colin."
Hmmm, what could this "certain thing" be?
It sounds as if the brain trust behind the new "Star Wars" films have a general idea of where everything is headed, but are leaving open opportunities to improvise and develop along the way. This seems to be the perfect balance of having a well mapped out story while also enabling each director to have a certain degree of creative freedom. George Lucas, in similar fashion, knew the broad strokes of the original trilogy but made changes when necessary during the creative process.
All in all, this approach bodes well for the future of "Star Wars." Unfortunately, we have two years to wait until "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
