Star Wars 8: Rian Johnson reveals three films that influenced The Last Jedi

'Twelve O’Clock High was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat'

Details regarding Star Wars: Episode VIII have been relatively scarce so far, the official title - The Last Jedi - having only been revealed this month.

However, minor details are beginning to reach the Internet. While there is still no official plot synopses, Rian Johnson’s list of films that influenced his direction may hint at what’s to come.

One film Johnson’s referenced numerous times when reflecting on The Last Jedi is Twelve O’Clock High, the 1949 World War II film that won two Oscars.

“Twelve O’Clock High was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots,” Johnson told Empire.

He continued: “Three Outlaw Samurai for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun. And To Catch A Thief was a great film to rewatch, for the romantic scale and grandeur.”

Hideo Gosha’s 1964 debut Three Outlaw Samurai features a wandering ronin and two renegades who attempt to save a magistrate's daughter.

Alfred Hitchcock’s romantic thriller To Catch a Thief, meanwhile, stars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, Grant playing a former jewel thief who must prove his innocence.

Johnson also spoke about the difficulties of writing dialogue for a Star Wars film, saying: “I found myself constantly wanting to push modern idioms into the dialogue, and sometimes that can work, but you have to be very careful. If you go too far you can break that Star Wars spell.

“The other challenge is the tech talk, which has to be simultaneously complex enough to sound real and conceptually simple enough to follow. The original films were brilliant at that.”

While the trailer for The Last Jedi hasn’t been released yet, we’ve discussed when Star Wars fans can expect their first look at the upcoming film, which reaches cinemas 15 December.