While it was released over two months ago, the contents of Star Wars: the Last Jedi are still being discussed. Rian Johnson crafted a capsulated sequel that expanded the beloved franchise, while also subverting most fan expectations. Johnson clearly had some very intriguing visions for The Last Jedi, and ended up filming a ton of material that unfortunately didn't make it into the finished film. Details about the deleted scenes have been slowly trickling out, and now we're privy to one particularly emotional one for Luke and Leia. According to Johnson, the scene originally allowed the characters to connect and grieve Han's death together, despite their physical distance.
We realized just for pacing in that section we had to stick with Rey and Luke, and we wanted just to go straight from him slamming the door of the hut into the day-in-the-life montage, of him going around the island. Taking that bit out suddenly propelled us forward into that segment in a way that just felt much better for the film. I was very sorry to lose it. I think it's a beautiful performance from Mark Hamill, but I think that we get a similar beat with him, later when he's in the Falcon with R2.
Does anybody else have chills? It's unclear which deleted scenes will make it to Star Wars: The Last Jedi's home release, but fingers crossed this quick moment is one of them. Han's death was major for the fandom, so seeing the other characters grieving would definitely be a cathartic experience.
Rian Johnson's comments to EW details some of the many deleted scenes that got the chop inThe Last Jedi. The director reportedly shot a ton of material, and then had the task of cutting it down to the final product's 152 minute run. Ensuring the pace of the film moved well seems like one of Johnson's focuses, and explains why so many intriguing scenes ultimately got cut.
In addition to Leia and Luke's moment of shared grief, there are a few other deleted scenes that sound epic. For instance, Captain Phasma and Finn's confrontation was originally longer and way more interesting. This included Finn revealing that Phasma lowered Starkiller Base's shields in order to save herself, resulting in the death of thousands of First Order soldiers. But pacing and runtime were ultimately more important, and Gwendoline Christie's character got the shaft for a second movie.
It should be interesting to see what deleted scenes come with Star Wars: The Last Jedi's home release; the trailer teased 14 new scenes. Star Wars fans are always eager for more, and new content may help resolve some of the issues the community may have had with the sequel.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be available digitally on March 13th, and on Blu-Ray March 27th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip tot he movies.
