Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Animated Movies Adam Driver accidentally "invented this thing that changed animation forever" as Kylo Ren: the Adam Driver bar
Christian Bale in The Dark Knight
Crime Movies Christian Bale promises Heat 2 will be "something great", and he came close to working with Leonardo DiCaprio before
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
Dune 2
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Star Wars: Eclipse screenshots
Action Games Upcoming Star Wars games: Every new Star Wars game announced so far
Dave Filoni
Star Wars Movies Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni says The Mandalorian and Grogu is "a big celebration" of the Star Wars duo
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
Star Wars Movies How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
Star Wars timeline: a screenshot of The Empire Strikes Back.
Star Wars Movies Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order
Star Wars: Eclipse screenshot shows two lightsabers with an advancing army in the background
RPGs Star Wars Eclipse: Everything you need to know about Quantic Dream's new action adventure
Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Resurrections
Action Movies Matrix 5 gets a brand new update from writer and director Drew Goddard
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic
RPGs Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic – Everything we know so far about the new Star Wars RPG
Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Sci-Fi Movies The Mandalorian and Grogu: everything we know so far about the next Star Wars movie
Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Steven Soderbergh says he is "very disappointed" by the decision to cancel The Hunt for Ben Solo
Ryan Gosling floating in space in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary first reactions are calling the Ryan Gosling sci-fi movie a "must-see space odyssey"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Sci-Fi Movies
  4. Star Wars Movies
  5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars 8 script's tone likened to The Empire Strikes Back, says Adam Driver

News
By Amon Warmann published 13 September 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

It's fair to say that Adam Driver is on a bit of a roll right now; post The Force Awakens, the actor has starred in critically acclaimed films Midnight Special and Paterson, and two of his upcoming projects are directed by Martin Scorcese and Steven Soderbergh. 

There's also another little known movie called Star Wars 8 in the works that Driver happens to be attached to, and in a recent interview with Collider he likened Rian Johnson's script to The Empire Strikes Back:

"It’s similar to how The Empire Strikes Back has a different tone. For that people always go “oooh, it’s dark” but I don’t know that it necessarily is. It’s just different in tone in a way that I think is great and necessary but also very clear. He trusts [that] his audience is ready for nuance and ambiguity. He’s not dumbing anything down for someone and that’s really fun to play".

You may like
  • Rian Johnson at the Poker Face season 2 premiere The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson denies being "spooked" by angry Star Wars fans: "lol"
  • Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter Ryan Gosling says franchise fare "never felt right" until Star Wars: Starfighter: "It is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"
  • Shawn Levy Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy compares his Star Wars movie to Stranger Things

"Rian is coming into something that we kind of set up and he just took it to the next level in a really great way", Driver continued. "Rian’s writing is so clear. I learned a lot of things about my character through his writing".

It's clear from Driver's comments that the actor is very impressed with his director's script, which is not all that surprising when you consider Johnson also wrote the likes of Brick and Looper. 

It's also encouraging to hear that Episode 8 is aiming to have more "nuance and ambiguity" too, as it indicates that the storytelling this time round will be a little braver than it was in the perhaps overly safe The Force Awakens. Here's hoping we get a few more details as to what exactly that story is sooner rather than later. 

Directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, and Benicio del Toro, Star Wars: Episode 8 opens in cinemas on December 15, 2017.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Images: Disney/Lucasfilm

CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
Amon Warmann
Amon Warmann
Social Links Navigation

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.

Read more
Rian Johnson at the Poker Face season 2 premiere
The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson denies being "spooked" by angry Star Wars fans: "lol"
 
 
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter
Ryan Gosling says franchise fare "never felt right" until Star Wars: Starfighter: "It is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"
 
 
Shawn Levy
Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy compares his Star Wars movie to Stranger Things
 
 
Josh O'Connor as Rev. Jud Duplenticy in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wake Up Dead Man director Rian Johnson says he "couldn't resist" making a Star Wars joke in the new Knives Out movie
 
 
Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Lucafilm boss Kathleen Kennedy says The Hunt for Ben Solo movie is still a "possibility"
 
 
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter is the most original Star Wars project in years as "no legacy characters" are confirmed
 
 
Latest in Star Wars Movies
Hayden Christensen in Revenge of  the Sith
Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments
 
 
Dave Filoni
Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"
 
 
A still from The Mandalorian season 3
Kathleen Kennedy insists Baby Yoda won't speak in The Mandalorian and Grogu
 
 
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Rotta the Hutt becomes Rotta the cut in our best look yet at the surprisingly muscular Mandalorian and Grogu villain
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Pedro Pascal says it makes "perfect sense" for Din Djarin to remove his helmet in The Mandalorian and Grogu
 
 
Rotta the Hutt in The Mandalorian & Grogu
After fake Mandalorian and Grogu image of Rotta the Hutt took off online, ILM animator debunks the picture: "It's BS"
 
 
Latest in News
One Piece
One Piece season 2 is a live-action adaptation to treasure as it debuts to perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
D&D's most annoying rule helped Fallout co-creator get big break at legendary RPG studio
 
 
A screenshot of Yoko Taro in the "Message from NieR: Automata director Yoko Taro" Square Enix video announcing Nier: Automata's Steam release.
Nier: Automata creator Yoko Taro sees it "as a form of respect" when devs "say outright that they copied" his action RPG
 
 
Marathon destroyer runner shell using shield to block explosive
Overwatch lead says using Steam player counts to dunk on Marathon is "big unemployed, maidenless behavior"
 
 
Death Stranding Norman Reedus and baby
RPG legend advises new devs to be like Hideo Kojima and create their own style – or just "have a rich daddy"
 
 
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
After the first two movies were written by Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy's 3 reportedly has new screenwriters
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. One Piece
    1
    One Piece season 2 is a live-action adaptation to treasure as it debuts to perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
  2. 2
    Overwatch lead says using Steam player counts to dunk on multi-platform releases like Marathon is "big unemployed, maidenless behavior"
  3. 3
    Nier: Automata creator Yoko Taro sees it "as a form of respect" when devs "say outright that they copied" his action RPG, but he's not sure "how Square Enix would feel about that"
  4. 4
    D&D's most annoying rule helped Fallout co-creator Tim Cain get his big break at legendary RPG studio Interplay after he flexed on the job interview
  5. 5
    Resident Evil Requiem director acknowledges the Leon thirst and marriage debate all in one as he jokingly lets slip a mock-up of the hot unc starring in The Bachelor: "Whoops..."

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...