Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren will have to struggle with having killed his father, Hans Solo played by Harrison Ford at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rian Johnson’s upcoming “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will see the return of heroes and the rise of new ones but what about the villains?
EW has done a piece on the antagonists of the new era saga – Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren (aka. Ben Solo) and Gwendoline Christie‘s chrome stormtrooper character Captain Phasma.
Upon killing his father, Kylo Ren seemingly reached his ultimate destination, turning his back on his family and destroying his past. It’s possible that, when embracing the reality of these ramifications, he could potentially regret his actions and question his beliefs.
Johnson said that Kylo being beaten by Rey in ‘Force Awakens’ will take its emotional toll on the already unstable character.
“He’s definitely been knocked off base. The defeat that he had at the end of The Force Awakens, but even bigger than that, his huge defining act which, spoiler alert, is the murder of his father… that’s the more interesting thing to dive into. How has he dealt with that in his head? Where is he at in terms of that act and what does that mean for him?”
As for Phasma, Johnson confirmed that she will play a larger role in the film, but her backstory will not be explored. But, not all villains need a story to explain their actions.
“Gwendoline Christie is one of my favorite people, and you get to see her in action which I think is going to be really fun. That character is just so damn cool looking. Like, okay, let’s see what we can do with her. Let’s put her in action and see what happens.”
In fact, Kylo Ren’s actions at the end of the previous film will echo throughout The Last Jedi. Chewbacca, the loyal Wookiee warrior, will be seen dealing with the loss of Han, his best friend and longtime parter-in-skullduggery. “It was obviously a big loss for him, but, you know, he’s Chewie,” Johnson told EW, “He’s resilient.”
While she gets more screentime, one character who will get less is Lupita Nyong’o’s Maz Kanata whom Johnson confirms has a smaller role here than her part in ‘Force Awakens’.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” opens on December 15th.
How do you think Kylo Ren will respond to his defeat at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? What do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments section.
Photo Credit: Disney