Day 2 ofStar WarsCelebration kicked off with the highly-anticipatedLast Jedipanel, which, as expected, debuted the first trailer for thisepic sci-fi sequel. DirectorRian Johnsonand LucasFilm presidentKathleen Kennedywere on hand, along with some “surprise” guests includingMark Hamill(Luke Skywalker),Daisy Ridley(Rey),John Boyega(Finn) and franchise newcomerKelly Marie Tran(Rose). Along with the trailer, fans also got their first look at the new poster, but that’s not all. Throughout the panel, directorRian Johnsonalso debuted his own personal behind-the-scenes photos, which you can see below.
WhileRian JohnsonandLucasFilmpresidentKathleen Kennedydidn’t give any context behind most of these images, for many of these photos, it’s not necessarily needed. However, the director did explain that he used his own personal camera to snap several black-and-white pictures from the set, with the director unveiling theseStar Wars set photosfrom his own collection to theStar WarsCelebration crowd. Here’s what the director had to say about why he decided to take so many photos from the set.
“That was something I realized from the beginning of it. I realized I had kind of a front row seat for all of this cool behind-the-scenes stuff, and besides the set photographer, I was like the only person on set who could take pictures and not get like tackled and kicked in the face. This is my Leica film camera that I got beforeLooper. When I was makingLooper, I had this on my arm and I would just shoot a ton of stills. So I did the same thing on this movie. I just had this camera on my arm the entire time, and anytime I saw something cool, I would just snap away at it. I ended up taking like thousands of pictures of the whole process. It was fun and, at the end of this whole experience, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, just to have all these memories.”
He went on to show the audience several of these photos, includingOscar IsaacasPoe Dameronin the cockpit of his X-Wing ship, along with an image he said was one of his favorites, featuring thelate Carrie Fisherkicking her feet up and relaxing between takes, alongsideOscar IsaacandJohn Boyega. Other images he debuted from his collection featuredCarrie Fisher’s daughter,Billie Lourd, who returns asLieutenant ConnixfromThe Force Awakens. One particular image that drew a big reaction from the crowd showedDaisy Ridley’s Rey holding up a lightsaber, while the panel hostJosh Gadjoked that the entire movie was shot in black-and-white, withRian Johnsonalso joking that they haven’t told Disney yet.
Other photos that debuted at the panel include the first look atKelly Marie Tran’s character Rose, more shots ofMark Hamill,Carrie Fisher,Daisy Ridley,John Boyega, directorRian Johnsonhimself, and even the beloved ball droid BB-8, who actually made a brief appearance on the Celebration story as well. Take a look at these behind-the-scenes photos fromStar Wars: The Last Jedithat debuted during theStar WarsCelebration panel earlier today.
