MANHATTAN, NY – Right when Rian Johnson became the director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he knew that the task at hand was going to be a hefty one, which was why he asked his producer partner, Ram Bergman, to tackle the project with him.
The two of them start from way back. Ever since Johnson’s first directed the film Brick, he was already working with Bergman.
Brick was written by Johnson’s friend. When his friend asked him to read the piece, he found himself being carried away by the story. It did not take him a while to realize that he wanted to create a film out of the script.
Bergman was the first person he thought about calling. They met for dinner, which was where Johnson decided to disclose to Bergman his plan.
Johnson says that he considers Bergman as one of his real friends, a friendship that was developed over time due to their pairing for film productions. He also shared that Bergman was always the one reading the first draft, and then together, they would decide which parts should be removed or added.
As for Bergman, Johnson is the real deal with the movies. He says that if it weren’t for Johnson’s talent in writing and directing movies, Star Wars would not be as successful as it is now. Bergman also noted that his job was to simply ensure that everything is done to make the movie a success.
According to Johnson, ever since his first film with Bergman, he feels that their productions have developed in one aspect to another. He noted that they earned a decent amount of money from the Brick. However, the more they proceeded with newer projects, they find that the profit for each film appears to surge.
Both Bergman and Johnson admitted that they argued about their decisions sometimes. However, they noted that their debates have nothing to do with pride or ego. It is more about making the best decisions for the overall turnout of the film.
Johnson said that his co-producers had asked him if he wanted to have the say on how the events in Star Wars should play out. He decided to give it a try. He wrote his own script. The entire staff was excited about it, so they proceeded.
There is a vast difference between their first film which is Brick and The Last Jedi. However, with the two of them working together, they still feel as if The Last Jedi was just another Johnson–Bergman movie.
The result of Brick was not too bad. However, the appreciation of the film was a bit slow compared with The Last Jedi which was absolutely a blockbuster hit. As a matter of fact, the movie is usually tagged as “the second biggest opening of all time.”
Because of how successful The Last Jedi ended up, it is not shocking to have Johnson as the director of the new trilogy of Star Wars. Nor is it surprising that Bergman will join Johnson as a producer.
