The Director and the Jedi

Anthony Wonke's 2018 documentary follows Rian Johnson's process as a director coming into the Star Wars universe from outside. The camera sits in on script discussions, set builds and shooting days, making visible how a major studio production is run, who makes which decisions, and how much room a director actually has at that scale. Its most striking passages are the ones where Mark Hamill states his objections to the new reading of his character openly; Johnson does not cut them off, and the argument continues on camera. That the film was made as promotion is obvious, but it carries a degree of candour rarely found in this kind of documentary. Who it's for: viewers curious about what happens behind a production and about how Star Wars gets made. Who it's not for: anyone wanting an independent, critical assessment; the documentary was made from inside the studio.