Rian Johnson Open To Including Jar Jar Binks In New Star Wars Trilogy

Jar Jar Binks could very well be the most hated character in Star Wars history, but a certain someone isn't writing him off completely.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of The Last Jedi who just landed his own Star Wars trilogy, revealed to Yahoo! Entertainment that he's open to the idea of his new movies re-introducing established characters–including the universally disliked Gungan Jar Jar Binks.

"I'm just starting to think about it, and get into, so who knows? I want to keep it just totally wide open in terms of possibilities," Johnson said. "That's what's so exciting about it right now, just the notion of one story, three movies, the sky's the limit. We can really do anything. The possibilities are thrilling... I would be down with bringing old Jar Jar back."

Johnson then played a verbal game of "what if" with the interviewer, laughing that Jar Jar could have a comeback similar to that which Mickey Rourke had in The Wrestler. "What if it was just in the style of The Wrestler except it was Jar Jar? We'd shoot it in black and white," the filmmaker stated.

After his introduction in The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar gained a reputation for being irritating, juvenile, and racially insensitive. His slightly Rastafarian look and accent imbued with broken English and speech patterns reminiscent of Ebonics made most Star Wars fans shudder in their seats. Even a Star Wars actor took a stand against Jar Jar at Fan Expo 2017. Anthony Daniels, who portrays the protocol droid C-3PO, admitted that he finds the character too immature and feels he was better received by a younger audience. 

"Jar Jar was created by George Lucas and he employed an actor, Ahmed Best, who is a terrific actor," said Daniels. "George's son Jett was thrilled by that performance that Ahmed did perfectly, but Jett was 10 years old. Now, I wasn't, so for me Jar Jar was a bit like the Ewoks. I've grown past that stage. 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, eight-year-olds adored Jar Jar... [and] I hugely admire Ahmed Best... [but] Jar Jar was not for me."

It can't be said for certain whether the divisive character will get a second chance at Star Wars fame, but those in the anti-Jar Jar camp may find solace in Johnson's past comments. Shortly after the new trilogy was announced, Johnson lodged dozens of questions about what the movies would focus on. He shut down a popular fan theory that suggested it would adapt the video game Knights of the Old Republic, stating that the trilogy won't deal with things we have already seen in Star Wars media. 

"To me, what's really fun is the notion of what new stuff are we gonna see, what new stories can we tell?" Johnson said. "For me, the possibility in a new story told over three movies [to] go anywhere, do anything, sky's the limit, in Star Wars? That's so exciting." He added that he is in "very, very beginning phases of trying to think about" the story and is "still figuring out what it's gonna be," so anything could happen from here.

Regardless of whether Jar Jar actually ends up making a return, we have a feeling the upcoming Star Wars trilogy will be a success.