What Rian Johnson asked J.J. Abrams to change about the ending of The Force Awakens

Rian Johnson had (at least) one request for J.J. Abrams about The Force Awakens‘ ending – to have Artoo go with Rey instead of BB-8, so the classic droid could be reunited with Luke Skywalker. Luke, naturally, is central to The Last Jedi:

“Figuring out where his head was at was the very first thing I had to do when writing the movie. I had to crack this. And it had to be something for me that first and foremost made sense. Why did Luke Skywalker go off to this island?” Johnson says. “That was the starting point, and that’s what the entire movie explores.”

So Luke’s self-exile – and his reasoning – is a key factor in the film.

Kylo’s cape is for real: Fuzzy look at Ren, Rey in The Last Jedi

A Battlefront II image unearthed on Reddit gives us a distant and fuzzy look at new togs for Kylo Ren and Rey. Kylo definitely has a cape (as rumored,) while Rey seems to be sporting a Jedi-style obi belt.

UPDATED: Slightly higher res versions have been found! Kylo’s cape looks to be leather and in bad shape, but maybe wrinkly capes are just hot right now. (Right, Krennic?) Rey has gained a textured layer, and her belt also looks to be leather

These are noted as “movie production stills,” not game images.

Oscar Isaac: Carrie Fisher got “pretty intense” filming scene for The Last Jedi

Oscar Isaac shared a bit about filming The Last Jedi with Carrie Fisher.

“It was basically my first day [on set] and we did about 25 takes total. Half of them were on me and half of them were on her,” Isaac, who plays the pilot Poe Dameron in the new “Star Wars” trilogy films, said. “I can’t give anything away but there was a scene where there was some physicality there and it was shot just over and over and over. She relished the physicality of it, let me just say. It was pretty intense. It will be funny to see what they cut together based on that.”

Isaac’s The Passage opens Friday; The Last Jedi is due December 15.

Yes, Kylo’s scar is different (on purpose) in The Last Jedi

Star Wars fandom being Star Wars fandom, it didn’t take long for fans to note that Kylo Ren’s scar in The Last Jedi trailer is different from the wound he received in The Force Awakens. Why the change? For the aesthetic! “It honestly looked goofy running straight up the bridge of his nose,” director Rian Johnson said on Twitter.

It’s good an explanation as any, given we’ll be seeing a lot more of it in The Last Jedi and (probably) Episode IX than we did in TFA.

Speaking of Rian Johnson, there’s a new/old interview with him in this week’s Star Wars Show.