The massive success of "Star Wars: A New Hope," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Superman" in the late 1970s are largely credited with ushering in the idea of the sci-fi blockbuster movie. If you've taken a look around Hollywood lately, you've probably noticed that this trend is still going strong more than 35 years later. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" set box office records back in December and reinvigorated interest in the sprawling series. But its sequel, "Star Wars: Episode VIII" may feel a bit different.
Actor Oscar Isaac, who plays the wisecracking Poe Dameron, said that new director Rian Johnson has made the film feel like a more modest endeavor. Given the bonanza that was "The Force Awakens," we can't help but be curious.
"Rian is definitely going to places and investigating things that haven't really been done in the 'Star Wars' universe," Isaac said. "For me, it's so fun getting to explore different things that I wouldn't have expected in this universe. In some ways it feels like we're making an independent film."
It's safe to assume that "Episode VIII" won't be smaller in scope and scale than "The Force Awakens," but it does sound as if it may be a more personal and intimate affair. Isaac's suggestion that the film focuses on new aspects never really explored in the "Star Wars" series is an interesting one, and Johnson has been known to be a director intrigued more by character than spectacle. The notion that "Episode VIII" is similar to an independent film says to us that it will dig deeper into the Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren than it does into how the unfurling plot affects them.
Isaac knows what he's talking about too, as he is well-versed in both the big and small scale productions of Hollywood. He's getting a lot of blockbuster experience under his belt with "Star Wars" and the upcoming "X-Men: Apocalypse," but he has also been involved in smaller films such as "Ex Machina" and "Drive." As one of Hollywood's most versatile rising stars, it's great to hear him talk about the highly anticipated sequel in such a positive light.
"Star Wars: Episode VIII" will arrive in theaters on Dec. 17, 2017.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
