Facts and trivia about The Last Jedi
Star Wars VIII had some big shoes to fill. On the left foot was the behemoth that was The Force Awakens and on the right was the juggernaut that was Rogue One. So the Star Wars production crew went hard under the watch of Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy.
And now we have The Last Jedi.
Here's some facts and figures about making the movie:
- Director Rian Johnson came up with the episode's title during his first draft and had to keep it secret for several years.
- Benicio Del Torro, the villain of the movie, was originally cast as Darth Maul but dropped out when he realized his on screen time would be minimal.
- Tom Hardy and Gary Barlow (singer from Take That) make cameo appearances as Stormtroopers.
- Rogue One's director Gareth Edwards has a small cameo (as he did in Rogue One)
- It's almost a forgone conclusion these days, but Warwick Davis has yet another cameo as well, making it his tenth appearance in a Star Wars film.
- Jimmy Vee plays R2D2, formally replacing Kenny Baker following his death.
- Carrie Fisher had filmed her scenes in the months before her untimely death.