I think searching for ANY “formula” is probably a bad idea, at least any “formula” beyond “find good collaborators, listen to what they’re saying, team up with skilled craftsmen, and synthesize those talents.”

But that’s more or less the “formula” for any movie that ends up being good, really. And I think that’s maybe the greatest lesson this film (and this trilogy, and this era of ownership) can teach us: Star Wars isn’t anywhere near as precious as everyone thought it was, and treating it as such is just going to stunt it’s potential and make it stale and disappointing. There really isn’t anything special about it, not in the way there used to be. There’s no behind-the-scenes magic that other movies aren’t able to call upon in order to execute their respective visions.

That preciousness about Star Wars is obviously starting to hold it back, and that fear of “breaking” it is, ironically, what’s breaking it. It’s an entire studio playing not to lose instead of just trying to make good movies.

It’s not going to be “one director” that gets this right, and I don’t know that we should even WANT a singular figurehead in control. Even when we had that we didn’t like it, and it’s not like it made for better movies, either.