By Though the highly-anticipated successor to Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, didn’t do too hot at the box office, most will still agree it’s a visual feast to behold and to marvel at throughout its 2hrs. 43 min. run-time. We have art director Paul Inglis to thank in part for bringing the overall vision of the film’s production to the big screen. We can thank our lucky stars then that Inglis is now attached to the few-of-detail but no less anticipated follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode 9.
This addition comes off the heels of Colin Trevorrow’s departure from the production as director and replacement by, that’s right you guessed it, J.J. Abrams. Not a fan of Abram’s directing style and gratuitous use of lens flare, myself, it would be insane to argue that his directorial debut within the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, didn’t spark the interest of newcomers and reignite fans of old to a film series somewhat theatrically marred by the excessive existence of re-release remasters and Jar Jar Binks.
The future of the Star Wars films is fraught with unknowns, starting with the upcoming spin-off film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will release this year, a new trilogy helmed by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and new series of Star Wars films written by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss that will both exist outside the Skywalker saga, as well as multiple Star Wars television shows in development by Disney for their upcoming streaming service.
Inglis won’t be the end all that be all to a franchise with so many moving parts and committed talent, but the contributions implied by his hiring will hopefully bring the same style and energy seen in many of his other works, including Skyfall, Children of Men, Prometheus, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and Game of Thrones to name a few. Maybe, just maybe, his genius will stand out amid any mixed reception that might come Star Wars: Episode 9’s way.
Star Wars: Episode 9 is slated for release December 20, 2019.