- An anonymous individual or group is trying to raise $200 million to remake "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
- It's probably not going to happen, and the plan may be a hoax.
- The group is getting widely mocked for the idea.
- While "The Last Jedi" was largely loved, it has a vocal group of detractors within the "Star Wars" fanbase.
A Twitter account is apparently trying to raise funds to remake "The Last Jedi," the wildly popular and beloved "Star Wars" movie released last year, calling the original movie "blasphemy" and appealing to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
It isn't working very well.
"We will be consulting with Star Wars fans directly throughout the writing of the remake of 'The Last Jedi' as the plan is to make a version of ['The Last Jedi' ] that is as close to universally accepted as possible!"the account tweeted.
There are several immediate obstacles to remaking "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." For one, the movie was released less than a year ago and grossed more than $1.3 billion on a $200 million budget. So it's unclear why the cast, crew, and Disney, which produces the movie, would want to make another one rather than do literally anything else.
But the "Remake The Last Jedi" campaign is persistent.
Our team of producers is offering to cover the budget for a remake of The Last Jedi in order to save Star Wars. Share this and spread the word to let @RobertIger& @Disney know you want this! This isn't a joke, we're ready to have the convo now! #RemakeTheLastJedi#StarWars
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
We will be consulting with Star Wars fans directly throughout the writing of the remake of The Last Jedi as the plan is to make a version of TLJ that is as close to universally accepted as possible! (You'll never please everyone, but at least it wouldn't be blasphemy)
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
In fact we want the writing team to be a diverse group of people that both loved and hated TLJ, so we will have an inbox for story treatment submissions and actually hire people onto the writing team from what we receive! So this is your chance to write a Star Wars film!
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
Iron sharpens iron and the best writing comes from a group of people who have differing opinions but can constructively work together for the best story possible. Not just one writer sitting in a room thinking whatever pops into their head is the best idea ever.
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
The people in power think the fans who disliked TLJ are an irrelevant minority of basement dwellers who are just keyboard cowboys that will never actually effect real change. If you don't want them to win then spread #RemakeTheLastJedi and let your voice be heard!
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
"The Last Jedi" was mostly beloved by critics and fans, receiving a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" Cinemascore in a poll of theatergoers.
However, it has a small yet persistent group of detractors. They launched a coordinated drive to bring down the movie's Rotten Tomatoes audience score and drove star Kelly Marie Tran off social media with online harassment. One person even made a sexist 46-minute cut of the movie that removed most women from it.
It's not clear if any of this is serious.
The "Remake The Last Jedi" campaign may be a hoax or a prank, if not run by people who are simply way over their heads.
The campaign didn't respond to INSIDER's multiple requests for comment. They are also anonymous, which makes no sense for people who want to negotiate with Disney. Its website is flimsy and does not have any actual fundraising apparatus — just a Google form that collects email addresses and a "pledge" for funds up to $10,000. And they think the new movie could be released by the end of next year.
Additionally, the site features a poorly edited video modifying the beginning of "The Last Jedi." In the video, Rian Johnson's face is photoshopped on to Rey. He hands George Lucas (photoshopped onto Luke's body) a script of the remake. It's written by "Anyone but me" and "Preferrably people who know 'Star Wars.'"
The campaign also offers three different explanations for where the money to remake the movie would ostensibly come from. The original tweet says that "Our team of producers is offering to cover the budget for a remake of 'The Last Jedi' in order to save 'Star Wars.'" But the video says a single producer is "Willing to match every dollar raised." And the website itself says "The producers behind this have pledged to cover the budget" and any further donations are just to have a voice in the script.
Even on the TheLastJediAwful subreddit, the plan has been received with dismissal and mockery.
"Jesus. If you don't like the movie just get the f--- over it," one Reddit user commented. "You know that other good movies exist yes?"
"You're pathetic," commented another.
But people are having fun with it.
The campaign drew the attention of Rian Johnson himself, who said he'd love to see it happen.
please please please please pleeeeeeeaaaase please actually happen please please please please please 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/mNpSjgovax
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 21, 2018
Mark Hamill eventually responded.
Talk to the jacket. pic.twitter.com/7TPJ658zDh
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) June 21, 2018
Seth Rogen also engaged.
Yo I’m very confused as to what your goal is here. You literally want to spend 200 million dollars remaking the last Jedi? And someone is giving you that money? I don’t get it.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 21, 2018
Not just spend, invest, good ROI
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 21, 2018
Ok. Is someone actually investing money in this?
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 21, 2018
How did you get investors without a script or stars or director or legal ability to make this movie? Those have been important elements in the past.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 21, 2018
It’s a pretty solid brand so that’s how the investors know they’d have a good shot at making money. To get the legal rights we would need a meeting with @Disney which would require getting their attention, we got yours didn’t we? What did you think of TLJ? @HamillHimself
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 21, 2018
So do you already have investors? Like, you already got people to invest money with the HOPES that Disney will let you make this, which there is no reason or historical precedent for?
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 21, 2018
I reread your other tweet. So from what I gather you don’t have investors, so Disney would just be entrusting you with the IP in the hopes you do it justice and are able to pay for it. Is that the plan? I’m so curious how this is supposed to work.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 21, 2018
And a bunch of other people piled on.
Are you the people who made Gotti?
— Aaron Stewart-Ahn (@somebadideas) June 21, 2018
Exclusive early footage of the fan made Last Jedi remake. 😂 pic.twitter.com/2LoHjqLZwY
— Scott Ramsay (@therealstatto) June 21, 2018
1) Disney will NEVER allow the rights to be licensed for this. 2) This is a completely dumb idea and a waste of time & money. | If you didn't like the film just ignore it. I tell you what even with the best story in the world a janky ass fan-made film won't be well received.
— Fiji Mermaid (@FijiMermaid) June 21, 2018
The organizers think they have a point.
In a long treatise posted to Twitter earlier this week, the organizers laid out their problems with "The Last Jedi" and Johnson, explaining why Disney should start from scratch.
And they offered a new idea for writing the movie: Instead of being the vision of one artist, like Johnson, the script would be made from crowdsourced ideas from "Star Wars" fans.
In fact we want the writing team to be a diverse group of people that both loved and hated TLJ, so we will have an inbox for story treatment submissions and actually hire people onto the writing team from what we receive! So this is your chance to write a Star Wars film!
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
Iron sharpens iron and the best writing comes from a group of people who have differing opinions but can constructively work together for the best story possible. Not just one writer sitting in a room thinking whatever pops into their head is the best idea ever.
— Remake The Last Jedi (@RMTheLastJedi) June 20, 2018
Their essential argument for why a new movie might actually happen is partially based on a recent report from Collider, saying that Disney is putting "Star Wars" standalone spinoff films on hold after the poor box office performance of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" in May. Instead, the report says, Disney is focusing on "Star Wars: Episode IX" and the next series of movies from the franchise.
But a new "Last Jedi" probably won't happen.
Disney has given every indication that they've embraced Johnson's vision. One of the next "Star Wars" series it's working on is supposed to be a trilogy to be produced by Johnson himself.
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