I figured this deserved its own thread, if only because this is a pretty huge leak, likely to start a relatively long discussion, and I didn't want to bog down the main SW thread. That said, to be clear, I have no idea who this Robert Meyer Burnett guy is - I'd never heard of him before today - but on first impression he seems legit (along with being a smart/genuine guy), and his breakdown of Trevorrow's script comes across as incredibly authentic to me. I feel like I have a good nose for this stuff, and I'm not smelling any bullsh*t at all here. That said, a few of quick points for context...
- Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly were hired to write Episode IX in August 2015 with Trevorrow set to direct. The draft reviewed below was completed on December 16, 2016 - nearly a year and a half later - but just 11 days before Carrie Fisher's death. So one reason this approach likely had to be scrapped was the size of Fisher's role. Trevorrow was then fired in September 2017. So there was another nine months or so of development on Trevorrow's iteration, likely to accommodate Fisher's absence, before he was fired. My guess is there was a difference of opinion on how to handle her absence, so Kennedy gave Trevorrow the boot in favor of Abrams.
- Trevorrow's draft is titled Star Wars: Dual of the Fates - a title suggested by a handful of us on this board - which would have been perfect.
- I can't believe I'm saying this... but Trevorrow's draft sounds SO. MUCH. BETTER. Granted, this is a bit like the backup quarterback being everyone's favorite player, I can already name a "plot hole" or two from this description that would have been met with complaints, and Rose Tico had a much bigger role in this draft. But I would have taken this draft, minor flaws and all, and more Rose in a heartbeat over the the crap we were ultimately served. Again, this particular draft was obviously untenable due to Fisher's death, but there HAD to be a satisfying way around that without going full Abrams.
-You can watch/listen to Burnett break down the draft below (highly recommended) - or - you can read a summary from a reddit user at the top of the comments here. The summary doesn't come close to doing Burnett's breakdown justice, so, again, I would absolutely watch the video if you have the time (the script summary itself is roughly 50 minutes long). Though there's a lot of context from minute one, the summary begins at 20:40 and goes to 38:50, at which point Burnett takes a break to answer some unrelated questions, but then dives back in from 49:22 - 1:22:33 (there are then further thoughts on the scripts throughout the rest of the video, but they're between other, unrelated questions).
- With this review now out in the open, I'm hoping this draft leaks in the next few months. At this point, I don't see how it doesn't eventually, and when/if it does, I absolutely cannot wait to read it...
- Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly were hired to write Episode IX in August 2015 with Trevorrow set to direct. The draft reviewed below was completed on December 16, 2016 - nearly a year and a half later - but just 11 days before Carrie Fisher's death. So one reason this approach likely had to be scrapped was the size of Fisher's role. Trevorrow was then fired in September 2017. So there was another nine months or so of development on Trevorrow's iteration, likely to accommodate Fisher's absence, before he was fired. My guess is there was a difference of opinion on how to handle her absence, so Kennedy gave Trevorrow the boot in favor of Abrams.
- Trevorrow's draft is titled Star Wars: Dual of the Fates - a title suggested by a handful of us on this board - which would have been perfect.
- I can't believe I'm saying this... but Trevorrow's draft sounds SO. MUCH. BETTER. Granted, this is a bit like the backup quarterback being everyone's favorite player, I can already name a "plot hole" or two from this description that would have been met with complaints, and Rose Tico had a much bigger role in this draft. But I would have taken this draft, minor flaws and all, and more Rose in a heartbeat over the the crap we were ultimately served. Again, this particular draft was obviously untenable due to Fisher's death, but there HAD to be a satisfying way around that without going full Abrams.
-You can watch/listen to Burnett break down the draft below (highly recommended) - or - you can read a summary from a reddit user at the top of the comments here. The summary doesn't come close to doing Burnett's breakdown justice, so, again, I would absolutely watch the video if you have the time (the script summary itself is roughly 50 minutes long). Though there's a lot of context from minute one, the summary begins at 20:40 and goes to 38:50, at which point Burnett takes a break to answer some unrelated questions, but then dives back in from 49:22 - 1:22:33 (there are then further thoughts on the scripts throughout the rest of the video, but they're between other, unrelated questions).
- With this review now out in the open, I'm hoping this draft leaks in the next few months. At this point, I don't see how it doesn't eventually, and when/if it does, I absolutely cannot wait to read it...
