14 Interesting Facts About Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

Name: Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Released: 2017

Interesting Facts (3)

#001
The website Movie Insider incorrectly credits Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a star of the movie.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Have you never made a mistake in your work? Things like this can be undone. This isn't a mistake worth blowing out of proportion. When the mistake was noticed, it was corrected.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Rey waiting with her staff on the rocksImage: IMDb
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#002
Tim Rose who plays Admiral Ackbar was born on the one year anniversary of Disneyland, and this episode of the Star Wars franchise is owned by Disney.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
A whole bundle of strange coincidences. An average person walking down the street bumps into another average person coming the other way, books fall to the ground, apologies are made and pardons begged, and the next day the same two people see each other in a restaurant. They go over to each other and sit down at each other's tables. Over time they become close friends. When they meet each other's families, the families are shocked. They confess to both of them. You're siblings. Strange things like this can happen.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Admiral Ackbar holds a clapperboard on setImage: IMDb
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#003
First mention of Books in the Star Wars Franchise.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Because, as far as I've been told and as far as I understand, Star Wars is a world. That world isn't like this world we live in. It's a world where very different things happen, and as far as I know it has philosophical sides to it too. That's why they haven't mixed the Star Wars world with the real world. Doing that would already be reducing that world's own internal realism. Yes, sometimes pieces from real life should be in fantasy or sci-fi films, but only up to a certain point. That's why not mentioning the books is the right decision. They shouldn't have been mentioned in this film either.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): A mechanical hand and hands reaching for booksImage: IMDb
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Production Story (4)

#004
Carrie Fisher was also a well-known writer, whose services were often called upon to act as script doctor for other films. She later began declining such assignments when producers would solicit her story ideas, then hire someone else to actually change the script, and use Fisher's ideas without paying her. However, director Rian Johnson revealed that Fisher helped with the writing of the script for this film.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Rian Johnson did what he had to do. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan didn't give him two episodes to direct for nothing. The man's a gentleman. But if there's any idea-stealing or borrowing going on, they should give him a share of the revenue too.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Carrie Fisher and Rian Johnson on setImage: IMDb
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#005
The sequence in the mirror cave came about after multiple conversations with Force Awakens Production Designer Rick Carter about some of the most important aspects of Rey's character.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
For example, as you can see in the trivia for Doctor Strangelove, the credits include the dialogues he had with Stanley Kubrick after a man told him that the machines people come up with have a sexual side to them. When you're doing something, thinking about something, you can turn it into a film scene, or the thing that comes to life in your head can be an inspiration.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Rey at the entrance of the mirror caveImage: IMDb
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#006
In the USA and Canada, the film had a huge opening weekend of $220 million. However, in its second weekend it dropped 76% to $71.7 million. It still stayed as the number one movie for that weekend despite the drop.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Spider-Man: No Way Home had a budget of 200 million dollars. This film made 220 million dollars at the box office in its first weekend. In its second weekend, 71.7 million dollars. Even though this film isn't as high quality as the first Star Wars films, and from what I've heard and understood Star Wars is a quality series, the difference is very high. On one side there's a film made just for the box office, while on the other there's a film made perhaps to illuminate something.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Finn and Rose in Canto BightImage: IMDb
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#007
The opening weekend box office made more than all of director/writer Rian Johnson's previous films combined.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
The issue here isn't the director Rian Johnson, nor is it his performance. It's because Star Wars is a worldwide brand.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Rian Johnson on set with Oscar Isaac and John BoyegaImage: IMDb
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Behind the Scenes (4)

#008
Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson revealed at a BAFTA screening that Hamill asked to play a CG character in addition to his role as Luke Skywalker, saying that he had done it before (he had previously done CGI work for the computer game Squadron 42 (2027) (which is the separate solo campaign of Star Citizen)). In the film he plays Dobbu Scay, the character who puts money inside BB-8 in the Casino scenes.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Mark Hamill has done voice work for video games too. But Mark Hamill always has one demand for the directors... For instance, after Batman: Arkham City he said he wouldn't do any voice work unless it was The Killing Joke. Still, he came back to the field with at least one more Batman game film.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Mark Hamill and Kylo Ren on the red carpetImage: Wikimedia Commons · Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0
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#009
After first completing the arduous 600-foot climb on Ireland's Skellig Michael island, Mark Hamill had hoped that he could avoid having to repeat the trek for additional scenes if he could somehow remain on the summit overnight, thus forfeiting the luxury of room service at his hotel. He suggested sleeping in a tent and 'staying in character.' However, after some inquiries were made with the Irish authorities, he was told by producer Kathleen Kennedy that he was not permitted to pitch a tent because the location is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
People do grueling 600-meter climbs. And there's this too: even a man like Mark Hamill agrees to stay in a tent. Most artists aren't that easygoing.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Luke and Rey on the summit of Skellig MichaelImage: IMDb
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#010
When filming, Laura Dern said "pew" every time she shot her blaster. Although not audible, one such instance even made it into the finished film. It can be noticed in the close-up shot when Holdo is stunning her opponents. (Around 1:30:10 into the film)
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Could be, because the truth is that crews on shows and films have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs behind the camera. They've probably done that too.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Two starships in spaceImage: IMDb
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#011
Contains a major spoiler — show
It was Domhnall Gleeson's idea, with Rian Johnson's approval, to have Hux slowly reach for his blaster then retract himself when he sees Kylo Ren unconscious on the floor.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Rian Johnson directed the two most talked-about episodes of Breaking Bad (Fly and Ozymandias). Anyone who's touched his work would agree, since he got the chance to direct two episodes of a show that's both my all-time favorite and, in my view, the best TV has to offer. He was also part of the crew on this film, both as director and screenwriter.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Photo contains a major spoiler — show
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Mark Hamill and Domhnall Gleeson at an eventImage: IMDb
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Characters & Cast (1)

#012
After reading the script for the first time, Mark Hamill told writer/director Rian Johnson, "I pretty much fundamentally disagree with every choice you've made for this character. Now having said that, I have gotten it off my chest, and my job now is to take what you've created and do my best to realize your vision". He was surprised by the changes that Johnson made to Luke Skywalker. In order to get into the mindset of an old and weary Luke, Hamill wrote a personal backstory for the character.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Mark Hamill... Ah, Mark Hamill... He voiced the Joker in Batman: Arkham City, the best game I've ever played, and made the game even better.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson at an eventImage: IMDb
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Easter Eggs & References (1)

#013
The three Resistance fighters who pop up from the trenches on Crait are Mark Hamill's children.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
In the art world, people usually bring someone from their circle into their work. It might be a small role, an extra part, etc. But it doesn't always mean nepotism — that's an interesting bit of trivia too.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): The Last Jedi cast on stageImage: IMDb
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Career & Awards (1)

#014
With the passing of Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels is now the only remaining actor to appear in all the official Star Wars films.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
It's hard to get audiences used to someone else in place of an actor who shone in a film. But I don't know if his face is shown.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017): C-3PO and R2-D2 on the red carpetImage: IMDb
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work